Remember, Believe
by Windmere
Summary: The birth of Harry and Ginny's daughter brings Ron, Hermione, Sirius, and Remus, along with Draco, together again for a search that none of them will need any help remembering...
1. Default Chapter Title

Remember, Believe

Harry smiled crookedly down at the tiny, white bundle in his arms. A small fist waved in the air and a finger grabbed onto his thumb. His daughter's bright green eyes looked up into his, as if a mirror image of his own.

"She's so beautiful," murmured Hermione, stroking the girl's arm. "I bet she'll have bright red hair, just like Ginny."

Harry grinned and touched her cheek. His daughter, his very own daughter. She lay perfectly still in his arms, her eyelids drooping slightly.

"I guess I'd better give her back to Ginny," Harry whispered. Hermione smiled and nodded, her eyes shining with tears.

The door banged open and Ron burst in, his red hair wild from the run. He was panting from the run, but he grinned up at Harry. "How's Ginny? How's the baby? What's happened? What've I missed?"

"Ginny's resting," Harry said quietly. "And my daughter - oh, she's so beautiful." Harry grinned as Ron took the little bundle into his own arms, his breathing becoming slow and easy.

"She's got your eyes, Harry." He grinned suddenly. "And she's going to have the Weasley hair," he laughed, touching the top of her head.

Harry smiled faintly and turned away from them. Ginny was resting peacefully, her eyes closed and a smile on her face, her long red hair cascading down her shoulders. He smiled affectionately at his wife and leaned down to kiss her forehead.

Ginny stirred and her eyes opened. "She's gorgeous, isn't she?" Ginny whispered.

Harry nodded slightly. "Ron's holding her now." Ginny smiled and motioned for Harry to let him in.

Ron walked in slowly, still staring at his niece. He glanced up at Ginny and smiled in congratulation at her. He passed the small girl to Harry and bent down to kiss his sister.

"She's soI don't knowperfect," he said quietly, looking fondly at the girl in Harry's arms.

"I know," whispered Ginny. After a pause, she asked, "Do we have a name for her yet?"

Harry looked up and Ron smiled fleetingly. He looked so much like he'd done when they were at Hogwarts: haphazard jet-black hair, sparkling green eyes, and a lightning bolt scar flashing down across his forehead, souvenir of the Dark Lord.

"What were you thinking of?" asked Ron to Ginny.

"WellLily, you know, for Harry's mum" began Ginny slowly. Harry shook his head slightly.

"I don't think that'd work. I don't know, but that name would just remind me too much of my mum" he said. Ron looked back to Ginny.

"Kerith," she said softly.

"Sienna," Harry continued.

"Rose."

"Mercury." Ron snorted at this, but Ginny glared at him.

Hermione wandered in, a book opened in her hands and her eyes fixed on the text. She barely looked up at them as she walked.

Ron sighed. "Do you _really_ have to read right now, Hermione?"

Hermione looked up, a sour expression on her face. "I'm looking for names," she said to Harry and Ginny, ignoring the glare that Ron was shooting her.

"Helen?" Ginny suggested timidly. Harry smiled quickly at her but shot Ron and Hermione a warning glance.

Hermione paced back and forth in the room, a frown on her face. "Something, something" she muttered as she flipped page after page.

"Athena? No" Hermione sighed in frustration. All of a sudden, a bright look of dawning crossed her face and she stopped pacing. The book closed with a small snap and she turned excitedly to Harry and Ginny.

"Rhiannon," she whispered. Ginny began to smile and Harry was grinning. Ron was standing in the corner, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Rhiannon," whispered Ginny. "Rhiannon Potter. Rhia."

"That's a wonderful name," said Harry. "How did you ever come up with it? Was it in that book?"

"No," said Hermione, shaking her head. "I don't knowit just came to me." She shrugged and smiled. "Still, I think it fits her."

"Perfectly," laughed Ginny.

"Absolutely," said Harry.

Ron just leaned farther back and glared at Hermione. She smiled softly at him and walked over, slipping an arm around his waist. "Come on," she whispered in his ear. "Let's have some fun. For old times' sake."

Ron looked from Harry, to Ginny, to Hermione. Finally, he nodded and a slow smile crept across his face. "Rhiannon Potter. I like it."

Hermione smiled at Harry and Ginny. Little Rhia was asleep in Ginny's arms and Ron bent over to look at his niece. The sun seemed to shine brighter outside of their window.

"Here," said Hermione suddenly, reaching into the bag slung over her shoulder. She pulled out four bottles of butterbeer and handed one to each of them. "Butterbeer."

Harry took his hesitantly and grinned at the memories. The three of them - four when Ginny was along - used to have butterbeer in Hogsmeade while they were at Hogwarts. That seemed so long ago

"I propose a toast," began Ron, in all seriousness. "To Rhiannon Potter." They all smiled and Harry could see a tear glistening in the corner of his eye.

"To Rhiannon Potter," the four chorused, sipping the butterbeer.

Hermione glanced at Ron. He was looking fondly at the little girl asleep on the bed, her green eyes shielded from the world at the moment.

"Sirius!" Harry shouted as he knocked on the door of his godfather's house on the edge of the woods. Two faces appeared in the doorway - Sirius Black's and Remus Lupin's.

"Harry!" exclaimed Sirius, opening the door to invite him in.

Harry stepped in and sat down on the couch, unable to wipe the smile off of his face. "I have a daughter," he said finally, smiling even more broadly at the words.

"Congratulations!" said Sirius, a smile on his face now too. "Where is she?"

"That's wonderful, Harry," said Remus quietly, grinning softly. Harry smiled back at both of them.

"She and Ginny are still at the hospital, but they're coming home today." Harry's bright green eyes gleamed at the thought of his daughter. He already couldn't wait to get back to her.

"Have you decided on a name for her?" asked Sirius, leaning forward. Since his name had been cleared from the murder of Peter Pettigrew and thirteen other Muggles, he had filled out and his hair was cropped much shorter than before.

"Yes," murmured Harry, a great pride swelling in his chest. "Rhiannon."

The response from Sirius and Remus was something that Harry couldn't have ever predicted. They glanced at one another, but didn't speak a word.

Harry frowned. "What? What's wrong with that name?" he asked, his spirits dimming slightly.

Sirius lowered his eyes to the ground and sighed. He spoke in a rough, quiet voice that Harry had never heard before. "Rhiannon is the most beautiful name in the world," Sirius murmured.

"Then why - ?"

"Rhiannon Drelle was in the same years as us," murmured Sirius, unblinking. He bit his lip. "She was" he faltered. Sirius shook his head and stood up, disappearing into the kitchen.

Harry glanced quickly up at Remus. He sighed and stood up as well. "I think it's best that Sirius tells you, but now's not the time," he said quietly.

Harry frowned, but he nodded and stood up as well. "Well, I'm eager to hear this tale that makes Sirius walk away, but I suppose you're right. I'll get back to Rhia now," he sighed. "I just don't see what's wrong with her nameit seemed so perfect"

"It is," Remus assured Harry quickly. As Harry's fingers touched the door knob, Remus murmured softly, "Too perfect."

Harry hesitated, deciding whether to pretend he hadn't heard or not. Finally, he decided against further questioning and stepped outside into the bright sunlight, shaking his head in frustration.

When Harry stepped into his house, he grinned widely as he took off his coat. Ginny was lying on the couch with little Rhia in her arms. She smiled fleetingly at him and Harry bent over to kiss her. She looked so beautiful, lying there.

"What's wrong?" she asked softly, studying Harry's face. He sighed and sat down beside her, his hands in his lap.

"Sirius and Remus knew someone named Rhiannon. Apparently, it's a complicated storySirius couldn't seem to talk about it. He walked away," said Harry.

"Sirius walked away?" said Ginny, raising her eyebrows. "I've never seen him do that before."

"I know," sighed Harry. "That's why I think it's something really important. And I've got the inkling that it has something to do with Voldemort."

Ginny nodded slowly, playing with Rhia's fingers. "That makes sense."

There was a soft knock on the door and Harry got up to open it. His eyebrows rose in surprise. "Hermione," he said. "Come in."

"Thanks," she muttered in relief, stepping inside and smiling fondly at Ginny and Rhia. "I've just been to see Sirius." At the quizzical looks from Harry and Ginny, Hermione waved her hand absentmindedly. "He has a book I wanted," she explained hurriedly. "Anyway, he looked really tense about something. Do you have any idea about what's going on?"

Harry glanced at Ginny and then back to Hermione. "Actually, I do. I was just over there and I told him Rhia's name. He and Remus knew someone in their year called Rhiannon - Sirius couldn't finish the story."

Hermione frowned, puzzled. "Couldn't finish?"

"He walked away." Harry sat back down again and reached his pocket for the familiar touch of his wand.

"This has to be serious," Hermione sighed, leaning against the door frame. "On a brighter subject, how is the little girl doing?"

"Wonderful," responded Ginny. "She's so sweet and peaceful." She gazed down at Rhia fondly and touched her tiny fingers.

Sirius sat on the couch, his hands folded in his lap and a mug of tea steaming on the table beside him. He tried to clear his throat, but he shook his head.

"Of all names" he murmured. Remus reached out.

"Remember, Sirius. Sometimes it's better to remember rather than forget. Remember her long, red hair, remember her warm brown eyes"

"Stop it!" cried Sirius, trying to stand up. Remus pushed him back down with amazing strength.

"Remember her, Sirius. That's all the advice I can give you." Remus released Sirius's shoulder and stood up, grabbing his coat and tossing it over his shoulders. "I'll be gone for a little while. I'm going to visit Harry and Ginny."

"Fine," muttered Sirius, staring into the distance as if not focusing on anything at all. Remus sighed as he closed the door behind him and hurried down the steps.

Sirius sighed and closed his eyes, leaning back into the warm comfort of the couch. _ Remember_ No, it was too painful to remember. _Remember her long, red hair_ He gritted his teeth and tightened his hold on the mug until his knuckles turned white. _Remember her warm, brown eyesremember._

He stood up and placed the empty mug on the kitchen counter, reaching into the back of a cupboard and pulling out a piece of plyboard. Sirius stared at the tiny hook and the small, silver key dangling from it.

_Remember_ Sirius snatched the key from the hook and replaced the piece of plyboard, closing the cupboard door quietly. Each step was forced as he flicked on the lamp in the den and knelt down beside the small table.

He pulled open a drawer at the bottom and picked up a dusty shoebox. Sirius closed his eyes again, willing himself to pick it up. Finally, he took it out of the drawer and pushed it closed with shaking fingers.

The silver key found its own way into the lock and the box clicked open. Hot tears pricked at the corners of Sirius's eyes as he stared down at the contents of the box. Newspaper clippings and moving photographs met his glance. He caught sight of Rhia smiling mischievously at him beneath a scrap of newspaper that had been shakily cut out.

Sirius picked it up, his eyes following the words and darting to the picture in the corner. The _Daily Prophet_ hadn't made a big deal out of it, really. Just a small clip in the corner of the newspaper stating that Rhiannon Drelle had disappeared from Hogwarts. But it had been much more than that to Sirius.

_Remember_

He tossed the clipping to the ground and picked up a photograph of her and the four marauders. Sirius smiled as she waved furiously at him with the hand that had been previously resting on Sirius's shoulder. There was a picture of her alone, gazing into the distance, her hair blowing in the soft breeze.

Sirius picked up the last photograph, the one that had been thrust to the bottom of the box. It had been his favorite picture of her and he used to stare at it for hours. Rhia was standing on the edge of the Forbidden Forest, dressed for the ball that night, her red hair plaited down her back. She looked so graceful, so willowy.

As he stared at the photograph, his mouth slightly open, she turned and smiled warmly at him. He felt tears well up in his eyes again, but this time, he didn't bother trying to hold them back. They rolled down his cheeks, but he somehow didn't want to stop the flow of memories anymore. They were like sweet music in his ears.

Remus stepped quietly in the door. His eyes scanned the living room for Sirius as he hung his coat up. He walked softly into the den and paused in the doorway, his mouth open.

Sirius was surrounded by photographs and newspaper clippings on the floor and tears were cascading down his cheeks. A smile came to Remus's lips as he watched Sirius sort through the pictures and clips about Rhia.

Remus had known Rhia as well. So had all of the marauders. But Sirius had been the closest to her. Remus had a feeling that Sirius had almost been deeper in love with Rhia than James had been with Lily. It was hard to tell because Rhia had disappeared at the end of their seventh year. No one knew where, and no one knew how. Just that she was gone.

"She was gorgeous, wasn't she?" Sirius murmured. Remus started slightly. He hadn't known that Sirius had been aware of his presence.

"Rhia was more beautiful than any woman I've ever met," Remus said softly. "I don't blame you for falling love with her."

"I only wish I'd realized it before now. The pain was in that - willing to accept that I was - and still am - in love with her," Sirius whispered hoarsely.

"She still could be alive," said Remus.

Sirius shook his head and muttered bitterly, "No. If she was aliveoh, it's been too long, Remus." Another tear found a path down his cheek.

"There's always hope," called Remus over his shoulder as he turned from the den. Sirius had overcome that barrier, but Remus knew that there was much more to it than that. At least now he knew that he was in love with her.

Hermione dropped her quill as she walked away from Harry's, her mind cluttered with thoughts. She made a small sound of frustration as she bent to pick it up.

"Well, well. If it isn't Granger," came a voice that Hermione never thought she would hear again. She smiled slowly as she stood up.

"And Mr. Malfoy, the white ferret," she replied smoothly. Draco's eyes widened slightly at the sight of her as she stood up. "What are you doing here?"

He sneered at her. "Nothing I'd tell you. Why are you still around here?" he asked.

"Visiting Harry, Ron, and Ginny. You know, I don't live here. I'm just staying for a while so I can see Rhia," retorted Hermione sharply.

"Rhia?" said Malfoy softly, his brow furrowing at the unfamiliar name. "Who's that?"

"Harry's daughter," replied Hermione before she thought. "Oh, right. You didn't know that he had a daughter, did you?"

Draco eyed her suspiciously before shaking his head. "Who'd he marry?"

Hermione grinned and snorted slightly. "You're really behind on this stuff, aren't you? Ginny Weasley. That was at least two years ago. Where've you been?"

Draco scowled at her. "No where. Who's your husband, then?" He folded his arms across his chest and cocked his head to the side.

Hermione blushed slightly. "No one, yet."

"Oh, so no one's going to marry you, then?" he jeered, a cruel smile playing about his lips.

"I told you, not yet, Draco," Hermione shot back angrily.

"Draco?" he asked, his eyebrows raised. "You've decided to call me by my first name, then? Not Malfoy, the white ferret, as previously?"

Hermione smiled slightly at him. "I'd prefer to know everyone - yes, that includes my enemies - by their first names. That is, if that's okay by you. And if you're going to make fun of me because I'm not married yet, then who's your lucky wife?"

This time, it was Draco's pale skin that colored slightly. "Well"

"So it didn't work out with Pansy, then?" said Hermione, her smile growing wider. Draco glared at her.

"You know I never really liked her," he said quietly.

"Yes, I think I did know that," murmured Hermione softly. "Listen, I know this may sound a little funny, but we may've changed. I mean, it's been fourteen years. Do you want to start over with dinner tomorrow night?" she said, blushing slightly.

To her surprise, Draco just stared at her for a moment and then smiled slightly. "I don't know why I'm agreeing, but sure. I can pick you up at?"

"Oh, I'm staying at the Flying Owl hotel. Do you know where that is?" said Hermione quickly, smiling.

"Yeah," replied Draco softly. "So see you at - say - six?"

"Great," murmured Hermione, turning away from him. "See you then." She strode away, a small smile blossoming on her lips. Dinner with Draco Malfoythat was one thing she'd never expected.

On her way to the Flying Owl, Hermione stopped in at Harry and Ginny's. Ron was sitting beside Ginny, playing with Rhia. The little girl was giggling as she tried to grab Ron's finger. Harry was watching his best friend and his daughter playing over the top of his book.

"Hey," said Hermione as she poked her head inside. Harry shut his book and stood up.

"Come on in, Hermione. We're just having fun with Rhia. She's so sweet," he said, walking over to Ron and watching them again.

"I'm just stopping in for a moment," Hermione said, still smiling. Harry shot her a queer look and she motioned him to the side.

"You'll never believe who I met just now," she whispered in a low voice. She noticed that Ron had stopped playing with Rhia and was listening intently to their conversation.

"Who?" asked Harry quietly, in even lower tones.

"Draco Malfoy. We're having dinner tomorrow night," whispered Hermione, a small grin curving her lips.

"Draco Malfoy?" hissed Harry. "You're having dinner with him?"

"Oh, come on, Harry. I can have my own dates, can't I?" snapped Hermione, her smile fading. She had known Harry wouldn't like it, but it was her life, wasn't it?

"Butyou remember him, don't you? You remember him calling you Mudblood and everything else horrible?" Harry said, concern edging his voice.

"I remember perfectly well. We're just starting over, okay? I can take care of myself perfectly well, Harry," said Hermione. She watched Ron turn around glare at her.

"You're going on a date with Malfoy? Are you crazy?" he said loudly.

"Ron!" exclaimed Ginny, touching his arm. "That's really not your-"

"Come on, Hermione. I thought you were smart. He's probably just trying to capture you or something. He's probably the next Dark Lord," said Ron, his voice rising.

"Why do you always have to try to protect me? What if he's changed?" replied Hermione calmly as she watched Ron.

"Do you really think he changed, Hermione? You think he's nice now, or something?" shot back Ron, standing up. His ears were turning red as his temper flared.

"Well, you've changed," murmured Hermione quietly, looking straight into his eyes. Suddenly, the color in his cheeks dropped and the corner of his mouth turned upward.

"And so have you, Hermione," he whispered quietly. She smiled fleetingly as she grabbed her cloak and headed out the door.

"I'll be back tomorrow," she called over her shoulder as she closed the door softly behind her. Ron certainly had changed - and Draco had, too. A smile curved her lips as she hurriedly strode back to the Flying Owl.

A/N: I'll probably have at least one more chapter up this weekend, somewhat depending on the number of reviews. I know the title's kind of weird, also...if you've got a better idea, I'd love to hear it.


	2. Default Chapter Title

Remember, Believe (Part 2)

Sirius curled up with a blanket and the box of photographs on the couch. He looked at them for hours while sipping a mug of hot tea. With every second, every minute, every hour, he hoped even more that she was still alive.

He looked closely at one photograph. Rhia wasn't looking at him this time, rather she was studying a piece of paper carefully. Sirius squinted at the writing, trying to make the words out. He blinked and the when he looked back, the scroll had disappeared.

"Come on, Rhia," he whispered. "Show me where you are - if you really are alive."

She smiled faintly up at him and dashed out of the picture. Sirius sighed and put it back in the box, picking up another picture. He sighed as Rhia ducked out again and came back with something clutched tightly in her hand.

It was the parchment roll. She unfurled it and Sirius squinted again, trying to read it.

_The Dark comes silently,_

_Sweeping one away_

_Captive for eternity_

_Perhaps, they say_

_When twin names are christened_

_Prison chains are loosened_

_For a moment._

_When twin dreams_

_Connect, the moment_

_Lasts forever._

Sirius smiled slightly at Rhia. She grinned back at him, but he caught a hint of sadness curbing her smile. He quickly copied the two paragraphs down onto a piece of paper and read them over again. It didn't seem that difficult to figure out.

Sirius scribbled words over the prophecy. 'The Dark' was obviously Voldemort, and he probably had come silently. He had certainly swept her away for what seemed like eternity. Perhaps, they say. Even the prophecy was unsure.

"When twin names are christened," murmured Sirius. "Of course. Rhiannon and Rhiannon. That's already happened." He checked that off. "Prison chains are loosened?" he pondered, scratching his chin.

"Hey, Sirius," said Remus from the door, grinning. He smiled at the box of photographs on the couch. "Reminiscing?"

"Yeah, I guess so. I found a prophecy in one of the photos, though. It's been pretty easy, at least so far," said Sirius, his quill scratching against the parchment as he wrote. "Prison chains are loosenedmaybe that means that she's free for a day, or something?"

Remus leaned over to look at the prophecy written down on Sirius's paper. He scanned it over twice and raised his eyebrows. "Don't you think that the second sentence of the second paragraph might mean that she was able to let you read the prophecy?"

Sirius frowned for a moment and wrote it down. "Maybe. How can twin dreams connect? Do they have to dream the same thing, or something?" he sighed in frustration.

Remus shrugged and disappeared into the kitchen, reappearing with an apple. He bit into it and sat down beside Sirius again.

"I never was much good at divination," laughed Sirius as he rolled up the piece of parchment and stood up, grabbing a chicken leg from the kitchen and gnawing on it hungrily.

"No, and neither was I," chuckled Remus as he finished the apple and the core disappeared into thin air.

Ron thrust his hands deep into the pockets of his robes and gritted his teeth. How could Hermione agree to going to dinner with Draco Malfoy? He could only hope that she would change her mind sometime.

A cold gust of wind swept his hair in every direction and he absentmindedly reached a hand up to flatten it, not succeeding. Ron closed his eyes and sighed as he continued to walk.

"Hey!" shouted a voice as Ron collided with a solid body. His eyes fluttered open and he blushed, embarrassed. But that silvery hair and tone of voice was familiartoo familiar.

"Malfoy?" he hissed as Draco stood up.

"And Weasel," sneered Draco, his lip curling.

"Why are you taking Hermione to dinner?" demanded Ron, glaring at Draco with a look of pure loathing on his voice.

Draco smiled quietly. "Jealous, Weasley?" he murmured. "Maybe you're just not - "

"I am not jealous!" shouted Ron, his hand balling into a fist. The icy edge to Draco's eyes was identical to his father's as they stared furiously at each other.

"Too bad all of Potter's friends had to come for the birth of his daughter," Draco sighed. "Hermione would've been just fine by herself. I suppose that criminal and that raggedy teacher are here too? Any chance I'd bump into them?"

"Quite likely," said a voice over Ron's shoulder. Remus smiled at Draco. "Ah, another former student of mine. How lovely."

Draco's eyes narrowed and he sneered at Remus and Ron. Ron glanced at his fingers, which were fingering his wand slowly.

"Hermione would never forgive you for killing us," Ron growled as his fingers touched his own wand and he gritted his teeth.

Draco turned on his heel, his cloak whirling around his sides as he walked away from them without another word. Ron turned to Lupin.

"What're you doing here? You didn't have to help," said Ron, slightly flushed from embarrassment and anger.

Remus smiled kindly. "Oh, I didn't want to miss that chance. I was actually on my way to Harry and Ginny's to see little Rhia."

Ron nodded and turned to step in stride with Remus. "What was the deal with her name, anyway? I don't think I ever heard."

Remus's face clouded and he remained silent for a moment, pursing his lips. "As I told Harry, it's best that Sirius tells you."

Ron sighed and continued to walk, his pace quickening. Remus followed, smiling at Ron's curiosity and quick temper.

Ron knocked lightly before pushing open the door. Remus followed, wiping off his boots on the rug and swinging off his cloak. Harry and Ginny walked in, Ginny carrying Rhia in her arms. The little girl was asleep, her tiny fingers clutched tightly onto a loose thread of the blanket.

"Hello, Ron, Remus," Harry greeted them, smiling crookedly. His eyes followed Rhia as she was carried into the living room.

"I ran into Draco," Ron blurted out. Remus tensed behind him and Ginny whirled, waking Rhia. Quietly, she shushed the baby's cries and turned to look at Ron. Harry's eyes dropped to his feet and he pursed his lips.

"So? What did he say to you?" Harry asked to quietly. Ron was aware of all the eyes on him. He swallowed.

"Well, he seemed generally annoyed that all of us were here, but he didn't say anything bad about Hermione, I guess," muttered Ron, feeling a blush creep up his cheeks.

"And?" prompted Remus softly.

"He said I was jealous," Ron whispered, his teeth clenching and his hands balling into fists. None of them spoke for a moment.

"Perhaps he speaks more truth than we give him credit for," murmured Ginny, lowering herself carefully onto the couch. She began to play with Rhia quietly, avoiding Ron's eyes.

Ron whirled and slammed the door behind him as he left. Harry went to the window, watching him disappear into the distance. He sighed softly and shook his head.

"He's never wanted to admit it," said Remus softly, smiling slightly. "He'll realize it one day, though, I think."

"You think?" said Ginny softly, a smile creeping over her face as well. "He hasn't for, let's see, about seventeen years."

"Yes, well, I think that it's Hermione's job to ask him out if she does like him," sighed Harry, running a hand through his messy black hair.

"But what if she doesn't?" murmured Ginny, her smile fading.

Harry grinned suddenly. "Oh, I'm sure she does. She and Draco - they'll never work, and she knows it." He shrugged. "Maybe she's just trying to make Ron realize it by himself - or maybe she just wants to tempt him," he laughed.

Ginny's smile returned and she stood up, walking back and forth across the floor. Rhia gave a soft sigh and her eyelids closed as she drifted off to sleep.

Hermione knotted her hair at the back of her head and draped a thin, periwinkle blue shawl over her shoulders as she floated down the stairs to wait for Draco. She adjusted her earrings quickly and smiled as Draco walked up and touched her lightly on the shoulder.

"Hello, Draco," she greeted him.

He made a soft noise in his throat and didn't speak for a moment. When he did, his tone was of utter astonishment. "You look - gorgeous, Hermione."

She smiled slightly. "Thanks. Are you ready?"

He nodded and they entered the restaurant silently, finding a table for two in the corner. Hermione opened the menu up and looked directly at her plate, saying, "Salmon."

An elegant dish of salmon appeared and she smiled up at Draco. He closed his own menu and ordered salmon as well. Hermione sipped her drink quietly as she studied Draco. He had certainly changed in the fourteen years, but so had everyone.

His silvery hair was as endearing as ever, but his eyes held an edge that was so icy, Hermione couldn't help but notice.

"What did you have to do with the Dark side after Hogwarts, Draco?" she asked softly.

He started and his hand hit his crystal glass, knocking it off the table. It crashed loudly and shards of crystal flew in all directions. Hermione pulled out her wand and murmured a spell. The crystal pieces disappeared and reappeared as a brand new crystal glass.

People around them muttered and turned their eyes away from the table. The volume in the room rose again and Hermione raised her eyebrows, looking questioningly at him.

"Nothing," he muttered, turning slightly red.

"Come on," she murmured. "I swear I won't tell Harry or anyone. I'm just curious." She smiled warmly at him and he fidgeted in his seat.

"All right. I was" began Draco, his voice dropping. Finally, he shook his head and sighed. "I'm sorry, Hermione. I just don't think that I can tell you yet."

Hermione smiled slightly. "That's okay. I think I might be able to guess."

Draco's eyes widened. "Please don't."

Hermione's smile widened. "Don't worry. I'll still keep my promise. I won't tell Harry or anyone that you are Voldemort's heir."

Draco froze in place, his icy eyes fixed on Hermione's brown ones. "How did you know?" he whispered. "I mean, I'm not anymore. I abandoned that."

"Really, Draco?" Hermione's eyes danced with laughter as she speared another piece of pink salmon and elegantly placed it in her mouth. "You're absolutely sure about that?" Her eyes twinkled as she watched him.

He glared at her. She just smiled sweetly back at him.

Hermione rapped urgently on Harry's door and waited impatiently, tapping her foot on the brick porch. Harry pulled the door open slightly and looked out at Hermione as he flicked the porch light on.

"Goodness, Hermione, come in! You must be freezing!" said Harry as he looked her up and down. She hadn't bothered to change out of her evening dress from her date with Draco and she was shivering in the cold wind outside.

She stepped inside gratefully and held her breath for a moment before letting all of her words out in a jumble. "Oh, Harry, I was right! Draco was - and I still believe he is - Voldemort's heir. I don't think he's given it up either!" she cried.

Harry's eyes widened and he glanced at Ginny. She was staring nervously at Hermione. Harry put a hand on her shoulder. "Are you sure?" he asked softly.

She nodded. "Positive. He wasn't going to tell me, but I guessed and he agreed. I promised I wouldn't tell you, Harry."

"I can't believe that you would do this, butthanks for breaking your promise," he whispered. The end of Hermione's mouth quirked as she smiled at him.

"I'm not as dumb as I may seem," she murmured softly.

Harry's gaze sharpened as he watched her. She continued to smile softly. "Oh, Harry, I know everything. I knew from the start that nothing would ever work with Draco and I."

Harry raised his eyebrows. He'd had some intuition that she'd known, but he'd doubted that she'd admit it this early. "But you don't know about - "

"Ron?" she finished softly, staring out the window. "Yes, I know about him, too. I just - I really do like him, Harry, but he has to figure out for himself that he likes me, too."

Harry nodded in agreement. "That's what I figured you knew." Hermione grinned slightly as she slowly paced the room.

"If you want me too, I can continue seeing Draco. I might be able to find out more about hisplans for his status," murmured Hermione as she clasped her hands behind her back, still pacing.

Harry hesitated before answering. "You know that would be dangerous, Hermione"

"I know," she snapped. "Why does everyone think that I can't take care of myself?"

"Let her do it, Harry," said Ginny softly, looking up at Harry. He stopped to look at her and shook his head, sighing.

"All right. Continue seeing him, then. Am I allowed to tell Ron?" Harry asked, chuckling slightly as he smiled at Hermione.

She wrinkled her nose and winked at him. "Not yet. I will in due time, don't worry. I won't make him suffer that much."

A/N: Okay, I forgot to include a disclaimer in the previous part, so this counts for both of them: J.K. Rowling owns everyone except for the two Rhias.


	3. Default Chapter Title

Remember, Believe (Part 3)

Ron bumped into someone and took a step back, wincing. He rubbed his forehead and muttered, "Sorry." He was extremely surprised when a familiar voice answered.

"That's okay." Sirius grinned back at Ron and he smiled sheepishly.

"No, really, I wasn't paying attention."

"Oh, I already realized that," chuckled Sirius. "Where were you going anyway?"

Ron sighed. "To visit little Rhia again. She's so darling. I think that Harry and Ginny are getting a little annoyed that I keep coming over," he laughed, smiling ruefully.

Sirius tensed at her name and then relaxed. He nodded slightly and Ron's smile faded. He glared at Sirius angrily.

"Okay, who is this Rhia? Why can't you just tell us who she is? Remus won't do it either because he thinks that you should tell everyone yourself," said Ron, his temper flaring slightly.

Sirius drew in a big breath and let it out slowly. "All right. You're right. She was a girl in our year, and somewhat of a prankster."

Ron grinned. "Somewhat of a prankster? Isn't that what you considered yourself?" he snorted. Sirius grinned back.

"Okay, so we were both pranksters. Anyway, she disappeared in our seventh year." Sirius shrugged. "That's all."

"You mean she's dead?" asked Ron, frowning.

Sirius shrugged again. "No one knows. She just disappeared."

"So? Why does Harry's baby's name affect you so much, then?" Ron said impatiently.

"Because we werevery close," Sirius said. "I found this box of photos I'd had from awhile ago, and I found out something else about her" His voice trailed off as he glanced down at the box tucked beneath his arm.

"What?" Ron looked curiously at the box.

"A prophecy. It was in one of the photos. And, from the way I interpreted it, she might still be alive, just imprisoned," Sirius replied.

"Wow. I had no idea."

"I know. I'm going to see my little - let's see - great goddaughter also," said Sirius, chuckling softly. "For the first time."

Ron grinned and fell in step with him. "You'll just fall right in love with her." Sirius tensed quickly but shook his head slightly as he continued to walk forward.

Hermione fiddled with the letter, attaching it to her owl's leg. "Come on, Lumos!" she muttered as she fiddled with him. Lumos flapped his wings and Hermione glared at him. He squawked and continued to hop around.

"Need a hand?" said a smooth voice to Hermione right. She started and then smiled.

"Hi, Draco. Lumos is being such a nuisance," she sighed as the tawny owl preened and looked extraordinarily satisfied with himself.

"Who're you sending the letter to?" Draco asked quietly as he helped hold Lumos while Hermione quickly tied the letter to his leg.

"The Ministry of Magic. They insist on me continuing with my research and they won't let me take an hour of vacation!" Hermione shook her head in frustration as she watched Lumos set off.

"That's horrible," Draco said in a slightly bored voice. "Oh!" he said suddenly, reaching into the pocket of his robes. "This is for you."

Hermione's heart skipped a beat as he held out a small velvet box to her. She took it hesitantly from his fingers, wondering if she should open it.

"Go on. Open it," Draco encouraged, smiling at her. She flipped the top up and gasped, putting a hand to heart.

"Oh, Draco, it's gorgeous!" she exclaimed. The silvery necklace chain glimmered in the soft sunlight. At the center, a small silver star dangled, flashing in the sun.

"Put it on," he said softly, taking it from her fingers and fastening it around her neck. She smiled as she felt the warmth of his fingers beneath her hair. They lingered there for a moment before drawing back. "It looks beautiful on you."

"Thank you, Draco. It's so pretty," Hermione whispered. On a whim, she threw her arms around his neck. She felt his breath on the back of her neck and she drew back quickly. "I've got to go see Harry and the baby now," she murmured, "but I'll see you later this evening, all right?"

He nodded and she waved to him as she strode off quickly, trying to keep from smiling. As she rounded the corner out of Draco's view, she Apparated to Harry's doorstep.

"Hermione!" called Sirius from the window as she appeared on the doorstep. He opened up the door, smiling at her. "We're all here," he said, gesturing behind him to Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Remus. Hermione grinned and stepped in.

"What's that?" Ron grunted from a chair near the door, pointing to the necklace.

"Draco gave it to me just now," Hermione said brightly and she could see Harry suppressing a smile as Ron turned away. "I can't stay for long because I'm having dinner with him in a couple hours."

"So," said Ron loudly to Sirius, "what's this prophecy that you found?"

Sirius smiled and handed him the paper. Ron frowned at it as he read through Sirius's sloppy handwriting, finally handing it back to him.

"Slightly hard to read," he chuckled, "but I got the gist of it."

Harry craned his neck to read over Sirius's shoulder. Everyone else crowded around Sirius to read it as well. Harry drew back and Ginny took his place with Rhia.

"It seems like you've got it pretty well figured out," said Harry, shrugging. "I don't think I'd be able to help you; I never was much at divination."

Sirius laughed bitterly. "Nor was I, Harry. But, then again, this isn't one of the most difficult prophecies I've ever read."

Hermione sipped her sparkling water while she waited for Draco. She impatiently crossed her legs and stared out the window. She couldn't wait to ask him more questions about his status in the dark world.

"Hello, Hermione," said Draco smoothly as he slid into his seat. Hermione jumped. He was silent and sly, something that made him stand out as a Slytherin.

"Hi," she replied. "I love my necklace."

Draco smiled. "Good. I just saw it - and it reminded me so much of you." Hermione smiled fleetingly back and ordered her food, closing her menu.

Draco took a moment to look at the menu before ordering his as well. "So, what've you been doing today?" he asked after a brief moment of silence.

"Nothing much. I visited Rhia and sent that letter, but that was about it. What about you? Tell me more about your position as Voldemort's heir. Is he really gone?" Hermione asked eagerly.

Draco looked at her nervously. "Hermione, I really don't think that this is the place to discuss - " Draco said. Hermione waved her hand impatiently.

"Okay, now no one can hear us," she said. "Please, Draco. Your job must be so fascinating" She smiled sweetly at him and leaned forward.

"All right, all right. Voldemort really is gone. Potter did kill him, but he still has me to contend with," Draco said, smiling cruelly. Hermione was slightly taken aback by his open confession of wanting to be evil.

"Why, though? Why do you want to be Voldemort's heir? Why do you want to be evil?" Hermione asked.

Draco looked startled. "Oh, Hermione!" he exclaimed. "I'm not planning to be exactly like VoldemortI won't kill people to take over the worldat least I hope not."

Hermione heaved a deep sigh. "So what are you planning to do, then?" she asked, dreading the answer that he would give.

Draco looked at her sharply, his silver hair and pale skin sending shivers through Hermione. "You're still going to keep your promise, aren't you? Swear that you won't tell Potter or Weasley, or anyone?" he said quietly.

"Please call them Harry and Ron," said Hermione softly. "But no, I won't. This'll just be between us, okay?"

"Okay," he agreed reluctantly. "But I don't know what I'm going to do yet," he sighed. "We'll both have to wait to find out."

Hermione decided to take a chance with him. "But Draco," she whispered, "you don't have to wait to find out. You can make your own plans." She waved a hand in the air. "Lucius isn't in control of you anymore, you know."

Draco sighed wearily. "I know, I know. Why can't you choose something a little lighter to talk about at dinner, Hermione? You're giving me second thoughts about this whole thing," he said, a smile curving his lips.

Hermione smiled and murmured softly, "That isn't such a bad thing, is it?"

"Yes, it is, Hermione!" Draco said vehemently. "I have to live up to my family honor, don't you understand that?" he nearly shouted.

Hermione was very glad that she'd put a silence spell around their table. "Yes, I do understand that, Draco! But it's your choice what you do with your own lifeyou could be known as the best Malfoythe one to stop evil in the world." She smiled.

He glared at her and she rolled her eyes back at him. Finally, she caught the hint of a smile around his lips.

"Somehow I don't think so," he laughed softly. "Thanks for all the advice, Hermione," he said sarcastically. She made a face at him and took a bite of her dinner.

"So then do you have any idea about your plans?" she asked.

"I thought we were going to change the subject," grumbled Draco. "To answer your question for - let's see - about the third time, no I don't."

"Fine, fine," muttered Hermione, smiling slightly. "Ummdo you live around here, then?" she said, racking her brain for interesting topics.

"I live one town over, in Hawksville. Where do you live? I know you're staying at the Flying Owl for the moment, but where normally?" he replied, looking deep into her eyes. Quickly, Hermione looked away.

"It's a really small town, called Triste. I don't know if you've ever heard of it." Hermione opened her mouth to add that she had an apartment in Paris, but she quickly closed her mouth again. If Draco really did turn out to be like Voldemort, Paris would be a good hideout.

"You were going to say something else?" Draco inquired softly. Hermione shook his head quickly and Draco frowned slightly. "No, I've never heard of Triste. Maybe I'll get to know it better soon, though," he murmured, smiling at her.

The candles flickered in Hermione's quick breathing. Draco's frown deepened. "Is there something wrong?" he asked, true concern in his voice.

"No, I just thought I saw somethingI guess I didn't," Hermione lied quickly, breathing slower now. "Sorry."

He shook his head, spearing a carrot with his fork. "No apology necessary." Hermione grinned as she took another sip of sparkling water.

"Come on, Ron. Stop being depressed about Hermione. And, for Merlin's sake, don't be jealous of Malfoy!" sighed Harry. Ron's jaw tightened as his fists clenched.

"I already told you. I am not, I repeat, not, jealous of Malfoy. I'm not depressed about Hermione, I'm just worried about her," Ron muttered, but a pink blush crept up his cheeks.

"Ron!" Ginny burst out suddenly. "Just give it up. We know you like her. We've known it for ages." She lapsed back into silence, swaying Rhia back and forth in her arms.

"And how did you come up with that?" Ron said savagely. "You may be my sister, Ginny, but that doesn't mean you know everything about me!" he shouted. He turned back to the window.

"I didn't say that, Ron," Ginny said softly, retreating back into her normal shyness. "Don't you realize that we're your friends? You can say you like her to us." Ginny sighed quietly and continued to rock Rhia back and forth.

Harry leaned against the chair, his sparkling green eyes watching the back of Ron's head intently. "Ron, why don't you just - "

"Okay, fine!" he shouted. "I like her! Happy now?" His face and ears were red as he said it to them. A small smile crept up around Ginny's lips and Harry began to grin.

"Yeah," Harry said finally. "We are." Ginny smiled warmly at him and Ron's eyes followed Rhia's movement back and forth. "Aren't you?"

Ron remained silent, still staring at Rhia. Her eyes suddenly fluttered open and she looked straight into Ron's eyes, a smile spreading across her face. She gurgled softly and smiled genuinely at him.

"Look," Ginny whispered in excitement to Harry. "She's smiling at him!" Ron began to grin as he stood up and walked over to her, playing with her tiny fingers. Rhia made a soft sound in her throat as she smiled at him.

Finally, Ron sat down again. The color had died down in his cheeks and his shoulders didn't seem to be weighted down anymore. "Thanks," he murmured softly. "You guys really are good friends."

"We know," said Harry, grinning good-naturedly at Ron. Ron glared at him playfully and aimed a gentle punch at his arm.

"Yeah, right," he muttered as he walked into the kitchen, scrounging for food.

"We heard that!" Harry called back.

"I know," Ron replied with a chuckle. "That was how I intended it."

Harry and Ginny exchanged a warm glance and Harry got up, bending down to kiss Rhia's cheek and Ginny's lips as he left the room.

Hermione slipped into her chair by the window, leaning over her thick journal as the moonlight cascaded across the page. Her legible scrawl covered page after page as she flipped every so often to a clean page. Occasionally, she paused to loosen the muscles in her hand, but very soon she continued writing.

Lumos fluttered up to the windowsill, pecking furiously at the glass to get in. Hermione held up her hand quickly as she finished off a sentence, setting down her quill. Lumos rapped furiously on the window again and Hermione rolled her eyes as she reached to open it.

"Hold on, Lumos, hold on," she murmured as she pulled open the window. She was met by a mouthful of feathers as the tawny owl beat his wings furiously, hopping inside. "Why do you have to be so annoying?" Hermione exclaimed as she spat out a feather and rubbed her eyes.

She quickly untied the letter from his long ago and began to unfurl it when a noise behind her caused her to pause. Her hands froze on the paper. Behind her, the sound of splintering glass echoed throughout the room. Her fingers trembled as the letter fluttered to the ground.

Hermione whirled tensely on the spot, searching for the sound. It came from the hand held mirror on her dresser. She breathed a cautious sigh of relief. At least it meant that there wasn't an intruder.

Slowly, she began to inspect the mirror. It was cracked along the edges. Another loud splintering came and she jumped. Suddenly cracks appeared throughout the mirror, as if a miniature earthquake was happening inside the mirror.

A vague face came into view. She squinted but couldn't make it out. Very slowly, the image came into focus and she recognized it easily. It was a face she'd just seen a few hours earlier.

"Draco," she breathed. "You scared me."

He pulled a face. "Sorry. Sometimes it takes awhile to work this thing - and it's really hard to do it without making noise."

Hermione frowned into the mirror. "Why did you do this then? Why didn't you just send an owl over or something?"

He smiled furtively at her. "I wanted practice. Besides, I really did want to talk to you," he said, his smile widening. Her frown deepened.

"About what?" she asked cautiously.

"Well, tomorrow I was planning to take a trip to Hogsmeade for the day. I was wondering if you'd like to come - you know, see old Hogwarts, too," he suggested timidly.

Hermione face glowed. "Oh, Draco, that would be wonderful! Thank you so much!" she cried, smiling back at him in the cracked mirror.

"I take that as a yes," he chuckled softly.

"Definitely," she repeated firmly.

Disclaimer: Everyone except the two Rhias belong to Joanne Kathleen Rowling.


	4. Default Chapter Title

Remember, Believe (Part 4)

Sirius chewed on the end of his quill as he stared down at the piece of parchment in his lap. Remus walked by and swatted the top of his out of habit. Sirius looked up and glared playfully at him. Remus grinned. "You know you're not supposed to do that," he said teasingly.

Sirius raised his eyebrows. "I can't believe you ever thought I'd follow any rules. As I've stated many times before, rules are made to be broken."

"So if I tell you to chew on it, then you won't?" Remus laughed. Sirius wrinkled his nose as if thinking hard.

"Okay, okay. Some rules are made to be broken. Good rules are meant to be kept. Like making all the trouble you can," he said, smiling evilly. Remus broke out into a laugh as he grabbed a piece of fruit from the bowl on the counter and bit into it.

"I take it you're still working on that prophecy," Remus said, changing the subject after a short pause. Sirius nodded, chewing on the end of quill again. He didn't look up.

"The thing is," he replied after a moment in a serious voice, "I don't think the whole thing can be fulfilled until little Rhia gets a bit older. I mean, I don't really think that they can dream about the same things yet," he said, a weak smile creasing his face.

Remus nodded. "I see what you mean." He shrugged. "I guess you'll just have to wait, then." Sirius made a low noise in his throat in frustration.

"Yeah, like at least ten years." He sighed loudly.

"Well," said Remus slowly, "you've already waited a long time, so what's another mere ten years?"

Sirius threw the quill at him.

Remus jumped out of the way and the quill clattered to the floor. He laughed. "Okay, I get your point." Sirius turned to grin back as he stood up and went to fetch the quill from the floor.

"Good," he replied grumpily.

"At least it gives you a long time to think about that prophecy," added Remus as he ducked outside. A pillow smashed a mirror on the far wall.

Hermione excitedly bounced out of bed that morning. She sang to the early rising sun as she dressed and even kissed Lumos affectionately on the top of his head. She regretted this soon after, though, as her face was brushed furiously by feathers.

Despite the fact that she was going with Draco and not Harry or Ron, Hermione was looking forward to seeing everyone again. She wanted to see the new first years, the expert seventh years, all the teachers, and, especially, Dumbledore.

A soft but insistent knock on her door let her know that the time had come. She opened the door quickly and smiled fleetingly at Draco, reaching back to grab her bag and close the door with a soft click behind her. She murmured a few well-spoken words beneath her breath and a sealing spell covered her room.

"Okay, I'm ready," Hermione announced. "Finally," she added. Draco smiled faintly at her as he turned and led the way down the stairs.

"You okay about Apparating there?" he asked quietly after they exited the Flying Owl. Hermione nodded and couldn't seem to stop herself from smiling. She watched Draco disappear beside her and soon she too vanished, reappearing outside of the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade. Draco was standing beside her, squinting into the distance.

"Are you here on business?" Hermione asked, enjoying the sensation of a light breeze coursing through her bushy brown hair.

Draco nodded shortly, turning to the entrance of the Three Broomsticks.

"Any reason you're so quiet?" Hermione asked softly as she followed him inside. He hesitated before nodding again. "And?"

"I don't particularly want to talk to these people," muttered Draco out of the side of his mouth as he waved to a group of shady looking guys at the back of the pub.

"Draco," whispered Hermione nervously, "I think I'll go up to Hogwarts now, okay?" He grinned back at her.

"Sure. I'll be up in an hour or so. Maybe longer if these jerks twist their words too much," he muttered beneath his breath, sliding into his seat at the back table. Hermione waved quickly to him as she left, glad to be stepping out into the sunlight.

Her eyes immediately turned to Hogwarts. She hadn't been there in so long. Quietly, she strode up to the castle entrance, pulling open the doors and stepping inside.

The halls were very quiet. Hermione checked her watch. 10:00. They were in one of their classes already. She smiled fondly at the old suits of armor as she made her way up to Dumbledore's office.

As she paused outside a doorway to listen for a brief moment to Professor McGonagall's commanding and stern voice, she heard another voice in front of her.

She jumped and then smiled. "Nearly Headless Nick!" she cried.

"Oh my goodness!" he replied. "Miss Hermione Granger?" he asked joyously. "How are you doing?"

"Great," Hermione replied enthusiastically. "And you? How are the new Gryffindors?" she asked eagerly.

"Quite wonderful, as usual," he said, beaming at her.

"Good," she murmured softly. After a short pause she gestured up to Dumbledore's office. "I was just on my way to see Professor Dumbledore," she explained quickly.

"Of course. I'll let you go on your way," the Gryffindor ghost said, waving a merry goodbye to her as he glided down the corridor. She smiled as she made her way up to his office, rapping softly on the door.

"Come in," said the warm voice from inside. She cautiously opened the door and peeked inside. He was sitting down at his desk, shuffling through papers, his half-moon glass perched on the end of his long, crooked nose. He looked up briefly and down at his papers again. Suddenly his eyes flew upward again and locked with hers.

Hermione grinned. "Hello, Professor Dumbledore." He smiled in return, his eyes twinkling brightly as she so well remembered.

"Miss Granger!" he said, scraping his chair back and standing up. "What a pleasant surprise!" Hermione sat down in the chair opposite of him, as he directed. "How are things going?"

"Great," said Hermione, beaming. "I don't know if you've heard about Harry's baby - "

"I certainly have," Dumbledore said proudly, lifting up a stack of papers to find the slightly crumpled piece of parchment. When he finally found it, he produced it victoriously to Hermione. She read it and smiled.

"Yes, little Rhia is very darling," Hermione murmured as she handed the letter back to Dumbledore. His face clouded for a split second and Hermione frowned. "I suppose you knew her too, then," she said quietly.

Dumbledore's eyes sharpened as he looked at her. "So Sirius has told you," he said softly. "Yes, you're correct. I knew her quite well, in fact. What with all the detentions she was getting - some quite apart from the ones she received with Sirius." His blue eyes twinkled as he remembered all the pranks she'd played on everyone.

Hermione smiled fleetingly as well. "We heard from Sirius that she was very similar to him in their - er - opinion of fun," she chuckled. Dumbledore nodded.

"And how are Harry? Ginny? Ron?" he asked.

"Wonderful. We all love Rhia," Hermione replied, sighing softly. "I'm sure she'll enjoy Hogwarts very much."

Dumbledore nodded. "I will very much enjoy having her as a student," he chuckled. "I just wonder if she'll get into as much trouble as her father and grandfather."

"I'm sure, with Harry and Sirius around, that she'll pick up some tips," Hermione laughed, staring into the corner. Fawkes fluttered his wings softly.

"I'm sure all the teachers will be pleased to see you again," said Dumbledore. "You may eat at the High Table during lunch if you would like," he invited kindly.

Hermione glanced quickly at her watch. "Actually, I'm having lunch with Draco Malfoy in Hogsmeade today. I appreciate your invitation, though. And I will visit them," she promised, a hint of her smile around her lips.

"Draco Malfoy?" Dumbledore said softly. "I never thought that you wouldbut that's off the subject. Well, have a wonderful time."

Hermione desperately wanted to tell him the knowledge that she had gained from their previous conversations over dinner. She opened her mouth but promptly closed it as she remembered her promise. She'd already broken it once.

"Did you want to say something, Hermione?" Dumbledore asked gently.

"Oh, Merlin, I want to," Hermione murmured beneath her breath. But she shook her head, managing a weak smile as she stood up. "I may be back soon, though," she whispered to herself at the door. "It was wonderful seeing you."

Dumbledore stood up. "As I feel," he responded, following her to the door. He watched her disappear into the halls and shook his head. He'd never thought that she would get together with Draco Malfoy. Dumbledore knew that she had desperately wanted to tell him something, but something had held her back.

He shut the door softly after staring after her for a moment. Dumbledore returned to his desk and continued to shuffle the papers, muttering beneath his breath to himself for awhile.

Hermione waited for Draco at the bottom of the stairwell. He came soon after, shaking his head in disgust. "Those mongrels make me so mad sometimes" he muttered to himself.

"I brought our lunch up here so we can eat outside on the grass," he told her quietly, leading her outside by a gentle grip on her wrist.

"Thanks," whispered Hermione, following him out the doors to the green grass. Draco pulled out his wand and muttered a few words beneath his breath. A warm blanket appeared on top of the grass. A few more well chosen words brought them their lunch.

"Voila," he said, grinning lopsidedly at her. She smiled back at him, lowering herself to one side of the blanket. Hermione lowered her eyes to the basket on the grass beside them, but she felt soft fingers beneath her chin. She looked up into Draco's eyes for a moment, staring deeply into the very soul of them. He leaned forward, closing his eyes and kissing her fiercely.

She responded almost automatically, opening up her mouth as they fell deeper into the kiss. At least he's a good kisser, she thought as she closed her eyes as well. Hermione pulled back after a moment, smiling contentedly at him.

"You're a good kisser," he said quietly as he pulled their food out of the basket.

She snorted slightly. "You're not someone to scoff at, either." He glanced up at her once, a small smile playing about his lips. Hermione was taken aback by the intense flash of needing and passion she'd thought she'd seen in his eyes.

"Here," he said quietly, handing her a sandwich.

"Thanks," she murmured, biting into it and reaching for a swig of pumpkin juice. He folded his eyes up to his chest and watched her eat. She paused and grinned at him. "Are you planning on eating anything? Or just watching me?" He smiled at her but didn't respond for several minutes.

"You're interesting to watch," he said as he pulled his own sandwich out of the basket along with a jug of pumpkin juice.

"Thanks," Hermione replied sarcastically. She cocked her head to the side as she watched him for a moment. He spotted her watching him and rolled his eyes.

"Oh, great. Now look what I've started," he laughed. Hermione laughed along with him and finished her sandwich.

"You're pretty interesting to watch, too," she giggled. He glared at her playfully and she erupted into laughs. He joined in as he finished his sandwich as well. Draco muttered a few words and the basket and blanket disappeared. He stood up, pulling Hermione up with him and kissing her briefly on the lips before brushing himself off.

"Are you ready?" Draco asked as Hermione followed suit.

"In a second. I promised Dumbledore I'd say hello to some of the teachers," she told him, starting towards the doors again.

Draco nodded and said, "Yeah, I guess I should say hello to Snape." Hermione didn't respond as she walked into the Great Hall, staring up quickly at the ceiling. She made her way carefully to the High Table, trying to ignore the many students staring at her.

She tapped Professor McGonagall on the shoulder lightly and smiled quietly. The professor turned and smiled broadly at Hermione. "Hermione! What a nice surprise!"

Hermione bent down to talk to her. Draco was leaning lazily in the doorway to the Great Hall. He smiled at her as she glanced up quickly.

"I've heard you're working at the Ministry of Magic now, Hermione," said Professor McGonagall. Hermione nodded.

"In some ways, I'd prefer a job in teaching, you know. What with the history of the Ministry and everything. But, in general, I'm happy with my job," she said, sighing softly.

Professor McGonagall nodded shortly. "That's one of the reasons I chose my job," she said with a smile. Hermione's mouth quirked slightly as she slightly regretted passing up the chance to teach. She was distracted by Draco leaving his post by the door and moving up to the place where Snape was sitting.

As Hermione's eyes followed Draco, she accidentally caught Snape's eye. Just as it happened, he was looking straight in her direction. For a moment, a look of complete surprise and astonishment crossed his face as his jaw dropped slightly. Their eyes locked and a glare firmly creased his face. Hermione smiled slightly and waved past him to Draco.

Snape's eyes dropped from Hermione's and turned to Draco's. He glanced to Hermione and then back to Draco again. Draco bent down and whispered something in Snape's ear. She watched his fist tighten and a vein in his temple pulse quickly.

"Well, it was very nice seeing you, Hermione," Professor McGonagall concluded. Hermione nodded vigorously.

"Yes, it's been tremendous to see everyone again," Hermione replied, moving away with a small smile still on her lips. When she looked up, all of the students and most of the teachers had left. Lunch was over.

Snape had stood up, but he was still conversing with Draco angrily. "How can you?" he said furiously just as Hermione walked up beside Draco.

"Hello, Hermione," Draco said by way of greeting.

"How pleasant," sneered Snape, his lip curling at the sight of Hermione.

"As I feel," Hermione replied savagely, tightening her grip on Draco's arm. He sighed in frustration.

"All I want to know," said Snape through gritted teeth, "is why you're associating with that Mudblood."

Hermione's eyes narrowed and an intense fury rose in her chest. She had to restrain herself from slapping him in the face as hard as she could.

Draco sighed. "Please don't call her that," he said softly.

"She's friends with Potter, for Merlin's sake!" he hissed angrily.

"So what?" Draco said. Hermione was surprised that he was getting mad at his old professor. "That doesn't mean that I'm friends with him now. Besides, it's none of your business who my friends are."

"It should be," Snape muttered beneath his breath. Suddenly he grimaced in pain and doubled over, gasping for breath.

Hermione's eyes widened as she released her nails from her palm. She'd never lost control of her magic before. Snape leaned against the wall, breathing hard. Draco glanced quickly at Hermione before looking with concern at Snape.

"Are you all right?" he asked tentatively.

"He's fine," snapped Hermione. Draco shot her a queer look before turning back to Snape.

"How - would - you - know?" Snape growled slowly, in between deep breaths. He straightened slightly, but still leaned back against the pillar.

Hermione bit her lip and whirled, walking quickly out of the castle. Her heart rate was up and a wave of guilt cascaded over her. She shouldn't have done it, but she hadn't meant to.

Draco came running out a couple minutes later and spotted Hermione leaning against the wall outside. "Are you okay?" he asked, frowning at her pale face. She smiled weakly and nodded, stepping forward.

"Are you ready to go?" Hermione said shakily as she fell into step beside him. Draco shot her another look before nodding. She trembled slightly as she strode forward next to him. Draco kept looking at her in a funny manner. Finally, he slung an arm around her shoulders and her trembling ceased.

Draco looked cross as they reached Hogsmeade. Hermione's spirits were lower than normal as she walked slowly beside Draco, scuffing her toes in the dirt.

"Come on," Draco whispered in her ear. "It's all right. I know you both hate each other." Hermione nodded vigorously and Draco grinned slightly. After a slight hesitation, he asked quietly, "How did you know that he was okay?"

Hermione sighed softly. "I really hate to admit this, but I"

"Spit it out," Draco encouraged.

"I lost control," Hermione mumbled beneath her breath. Draco paused in his tracks for a moment, surprise etched in every line of his face.

"Really?" he said, interest creeping into his drawl.

"Don't taunt me about it," Hermione warned waspishly.

"All right. Take all the fun out of it," he grumbled. Hermione managed a weak smile as she reached the edge of Hogsmeade.

"I'm going to go now, 'kay?" she said. Draco nodded, grabbing her wrist on an impulse and kissing her deeply. She broke away and forced a smile as she disappeared.

Hermione shuddered as she stepped inside Harry's house. He walked out of the kitchen and grinned at her. "Hullo. What're you doing here?"

Hermione smiled. "I've just been to Hogsmeade and Hogwarts."

Harry raised his eyebrows. "Really? Were you - you didn't go with Malfoy, did you?" he asked, his brow furrowing.

She rolled her eyes and nodded. "Yeah, it was fine until I practically killed Snape." A look of joyous bliss crossed Harry's face.

"Pity he didn't die, then."

Hermione made a face. "Yeah, I know. He called me a Mudblood and I kinda lost control. Draco doesn't really care that much, though. Which is good," she added as an afterthought.

"Yeah," Harry agreed.

Hermione frowned. "He met at the Three Broomsticks with a couple of dark-looking men, Harry. I'm really worried, now. He's not going to give it up."

"So? Who's he planning to hurt, then?" Harry asked, waving his hand in the air. Hermione glared at him.

"You," she said simply.

"Why me?" Harry said. "I mean, I know we're not friends or anything, but if he really likes you, he won't risk it for me."

"When we were talking to Snape, he still said that he hates you."

Harry snorted. "I think we already knew that."

"Yeah, but you're the only one that Voldemort couldn't defeat, Harry. Draco will certainly want to get you first. To finish Voldemort's work," Hermione argued, her hands on her hips and patches of pink on her cheeks.

"Right," replied Harry, clearly not believing her.

"Fine," Hermione snapped, whirling and slipping out of the door, closing it hard behind her as she walked away quickly. She could feel Harry's eyes on her from the window as she vanished out of sight.

Hermione stomped into her apartment and tossed her wand on her bed, collapsing onto her billow. She drew her knees up to her chin and bit her lip as she stared angrily out of the window. She was too restless to stay in one position for long, though. Hermione paced back and forth across her room, her hands clasped behind her back.

There was a soft knock at her door. She paused for a moment but didn't answer it. The knock came again. Hermione sighed impatiently beneath her breath.

"Hermione?" the voice called tentatively. Ron. Hermione didn't answer. "Are you there?"

She felt like throwing something at the door. If no one answers, no one's home, jerk! she thought angrily.

Hermione listened at the door as his footsteps padded away and she continued to pace, occasionally making soft noises of frustration in her throat. Her fingernails dug deeply into her palms, but she ignored the biting pain, only digging them in harder.

There was a loud noise and a soft, "Oof!" Hermione stopped pacing and opened her window, sticking her head outside and looking down. Ron was hovering just below her window, rubbing a sore elbow which he had, apparently, smashed against the side of the building.

"What are you doing here?" she snapped. He looked up and grinned, aiming his broom through the window. Hermione yelled and jumped away as Ron soared in and landed slightly clumsily on her bed, tumbling down onto the ground.

"You didn't answer the door and I wanted to talk," Ron said, shrugging.

Hermione glared at him. She wasn't in the mood for talking. "Usually when a person doesn't answer the door, it means they don't want to talk. Apparently, you didn't figure this out," she grumbled.

"Where were you today? I've been looking everywhere for you today, but you weren't anywhere. I knew you were in here because you were pacing," he explained, frowning at her.

Hermione sighed and rubbed her temples. She was getting a headache. "I was at Hogwarts," she stated quietly, lying down on her bed, pushing Ron's broom to the floor.

"Really?" he asked, his face brightening. Suddenly it clouded again. "With Malfoy, right?" he said quietly, already knowing the answer. Hermione barely had to incline her head. "Why do you bother with that - that"

Hermione stood up again, her face flushed. "Maybe I want to have my own life, all right, Ron? Your feelings aren't mine, you know," she shouted, her temper flaring suddenly.

Instead of backing off, Ron stepped forward, his eyes flashing angrily. "I'm just trying to make sure you don't get hurt, all right?"

"I don't want you making sure I don't get hurt? How else can I get that through your thick head?" she yelled, throwing her hands up. Hermione quickly cast a silence spell around the room, just in case anyone was planning on listening.

"Are you saying you want to die, then? What if he's the next Voldemort, Hermione?" Ron shot back, glaring stormily at her.

Hermione's eyebrows raised for a moment. Had Harry told him? "So? Maybe I can help the world if I know his plans, then."

"You're just hurting yourself by associating with that jerk! He'll hurt you, I just know it! You're not right for each other!" Ron began to pace across the room just as Hermione had previously done.

"You don't know what's right for me!" she cried. Ron stopped pacing and stared at her quietly. "You don't know my feelings! I want to live my own life. I want to see the guys I want to see. I want - "

Hermione last sentence was cut off as Ron leaned forward and kissed her fiercely, gently holding her face in his hands. Without realizing it, Hermione kissed him back, not drawing back from him for a full five minutes.

When they finally pulled apart, Hermione was gazing into Ron's eyes with a mixture of fear and passion. She stepped back and sat down. He flushed slightly.

"I'm sorry," he began.

"No," Hermione said firmly. "Don't be."

"I didn't mean to be so overprotective," he said softly, looking down at his hands. Hermione grinned and scooted over next to him, putting her arm around his shoulders.

"That's okay. I wouldn't want you to be hurt, either." She looked deeply into his eyes, willing him to see that she wasn't really in love with Draco.

"But you're going out with Malfoy, Hermione," he whispered. She took a deep breath, debating whether or not she should tell him about Draco.

"In a way," she replied finally, praying that he would rise to the bait.

"In a way?" He did.

She sighed softly. "I don't love him, Ron. If fact, I don't even like him that much."

"Then why are you going out with him?" Ron demanded impatiently.

"Patience, Ron," she said. "I'm going out with him because he is Voldemort's heir." Ron started in alarm, but Hermione squeezed his shoulders tighter. "I've found out enough information about him to help Harry and anyone else against dark lords."

"But that's so dangerous!" Ron whispered hoarsely. His eyes were wide with worry as he stared into Hermione's.

She sighed again and breathed in deeply. "I know, I know. But think how important the information will be in fighting him."

"But how do you know that he isn't doing the same thing to you - trying to find out more about Harry through you?" Hermione smiled mischievously and pulled the necklace out, clicking it open with her forefinger and thumb.

Ron looked at the inside of the locket and his jaw dropped slightly. There were two inscriptions, engraved in a very fancy font, reading Draco on one side and Hermione on the other. Beneath the two names, at the very bottom, was one last word. Forever.

Ron breathed in sharply. "So?" he said in a strangled voice a moment later.

Hermione's mischievous smile returned quickly. "I'm betting that this cost more than a little. This wouldn't be cheap. He could've just told me that, but instead he wasted a lot of money on this necklace." She shook it lightly so the chain jangled before laying it down carefully on the desk.

"Right, then. So you're going to keep seeing him and try to get more information on his plans?" Ron asked, a nervous tone creeping in. Hermione nodded and smiled fleetingly.

"It'll be worth it, Ron. It really will," she whispered. Ron nodded slowly and glanced at his watch and winced.

"I promised I'd meet Harry in five minutes," he said. "I'm sorry. I guess I'll see you later?" Hermione nodded and smiled weakly.

"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow." She bent down and picked up his broom, handing it gently to him.

"Thanks," he murmured, looking regretfully back at her room. He took up and Hermione watched him disappear into the sky.

She turned back and sat down on her bed, sighing softly. Twilight was coming in softly, darkening the streets and sky around her. Hermione watched the bright stars become brighter in the night sky outside her window.

A quiet crack from behind made Hermione start. She turned and a quick anger grew in her chest. Without waiting for her mirror to yield her room any further, she tore it from her desk.

The glass splintered as it smashed against the wall, silently falling to the floor.

Disclaimer: Everyone belongs to J.K. Rowling except the two Rhias. They belong to me.

A/N: Hermione didn't have a very good day, did she? I think that this will be the last part at the present time; following parts will be set when Rhia's a little older. Thanks for all the reviews and sorry this took a little while to get up!


	5. Default Chapter Title

Remember, Believe (Part 5)

Ten years later...(from the previous part)

Hermione linked her arm through Ron's and kissed him softly on the lips. She hadn't seen Draco since the day she'd smashed the mirror against the wall, but she knew he was out there. There had been reports of a so-called 'Dark heir to the past' in Canada.

A tall, red haired girl ran towards them. Her bright green eyes sparkled as she skidded to a stop in front of them. "My dad wants both of you," she told them, bouncing off. Ron and Hermione exchanged grins. She stopped and called over her shoulder, "Come on, Aunt Hermione! And Uncle Ron!" she added as an afterthought.

"Okay, okay!" Hermione called back, releasing Ron and running after her, laughing as Rhia shrieked and darted out of the way.

Ron smiled crookedly as he watched his wife and niece tumble across the grass. Rhia bolted out of Hermione's grasp and ran up to Harry and Ginny. They reached out to hug her, but she pulled away, grabbing Harry'' Firebolt right out of his hands.

"Hey!" Harry shouted. Rhia grinned as she kicked off and spiraled up into the clouds. She had a habit of stealing her father's broom and flying. She was quite good at it, though.

Hermione winced and dug her fingernails into Ron's wings as she dove down like a meteor and pulling out of the dive just before she hit the ground, her bare toes skimming the grass. She laughed and pulled the broom up again, flying above the treetops.

"It was bad with Harry, but now Rhia too!" Hermione moaned, squeezing Ron's arm as Rhia lowered just beneath the treetops, coming out and landing.

"When do I get my own broom?" she asked. Harry smiled and exchanged a glance with Ginny. Rhia knelt on the grass and pleaded. "Please? I already know how to fly?"

"Maybe," Harry answered vaguely. Rhia pretended to pout, standing up and reaching for Hermione's hand.

"If I can't have my own broom, then I'll use Dad's! Let's go!" Hermione shrieked as Rhia pulled her onto the broom and circled around the clouds. Hermione could still be heard shouting from up above. Rhia grinned as she spiraled downward and landed beside Ron, hopping off.

"Where's Sirius?" Ron asked Harry quietly.

"Sirius?" Rhia said, grinning as she listened in. She threw her hair behind her shoulders and leaned forward.

"No," Ron said stupidly. She made a face at him and turned around, scanning the surrounding area for Sirius. When she spotted him walking towards them in the distance, she jumped and took off at a run.

"Hey," Sirius said with an evil grin as he picked up Rhia and swung her around in a circle. She shrieked with delight.

"Hi!" she replied energetically. "Can I go back to your house?" she asked enthusiastically.

Sirius was about to say no when she grabbed his house key from his pocket and took off at a run. He shook his head, feeling too old to run after her. He looked at Harry and he smiled grimly, kicking off on his Firebolt.

Rhia headed into the forest, dodging trees as she heard the whoosh of a broom above the trees. She looked frantically for a place to hide. Suddenly she spotted a large hole in a tree trunk and ducked inside.

She listened as Harry landed in the forest. "Rhia!" he called loudly. She held her breath. "Rhia! Where are you?"

Rhia almost snorted. _Like I'm going to answer that_, she thought, huddling closer into the tree. She heard Harry sigh and kick off again, no doubt circling around to look for her. She crawled out of the tree and took off at a run for Sirius's house.

She was breathing hard as she kicked the door open and grinned as she tossed the key onto a table. Evidently, Harry had misjudged her speed and hadn't arrived here yet. Rhia was about to raid the refrigerator when a very old and very worn piece of paper on a table caught her attention.

She picked it up, frowning slightly as she read it. Her green eyes flashed back and forth across the paper. She paused as she finished it.

There was a loud pounding at the door. "Rhia!" Harry called. Rhia sighed as she heard him mutter a spell. The door creaked open. Her father frowned at her. "Why didn't you answer?"

Rhia rolled her eyes. "I didn't want to be caught," she said simply, choosing to ignore the stupidity of Harry's question. She paused a moment before asking quietly, "Who's Rhia?"

Harry laughed shortly. "You, of course." She frowned and made a face. "But here - on this piece of paper - this isn't me."

Harry's face clouded as he took the paper from her hands and scanned the words, folding it up. "No," he said softly. "It's not you."

"Then who is it?" she asked inquisitively. Harry hesitated.

"Someone from the past."

"Your past?" she persisted. Harry shook his head.

"Sirius's past," he replied. "Let's go."

As they flew back, Rhia kept asking Harry questions. "What did she look like?" Rhia asked curiously. Harry held in a sigh.

"I dunno. Sirius has some pictures, I think."

"Oh. Did you ever meet her?" Rhia leaned over her father's shoulder as they landed. She hopped off and cocked her head to one side.

"No. Ask Sirius all your questions. He knows her," Harry replied, tucking the broom underneath his arm and going over to Ginny. "She's a fast runner," he said dryly.

Ginny grinned. "She beat you, huh?" Harry grew slightly red around the ears and turned to Remus.

"So, what's up?" he asked. Ginny laughed behind him.

"We're all eating at Sirius's tonight for dinner," Remus replied, slightly stunned. Harry began to nod, then groaned.

"Rhia too?" he asked. Remus nodded, puzzled. Harry explained, dropping his voice slightly. "She got to Sirius's house before me. And she - uh - sort of found that prophecy and Rhia's name beside it. She's been asking me questions ever since."

Remus hesitated in the silence. "I think I'll stay home for dinner," he said finally, his lips curling into a smile. Harry grinned.

"Me too." Five minutes later, it was only Rhia begging on her knees to eat dinner with Sirius. Harry grinned at Sirius and agreed.

"Hey!" Sirius said when he realized that only Rhia was coming over. "Harry, why aren't you coming?"

"I - er - have work to do," he said quickly. "Yeah."

"Ginny?"

"I forgot that I promised my friends that I'd come over for a little bit this evening." Sirius shot her a suspicious glance.

"Hermione?" he asked, getting exasperated.

"I have to finish this book," she said. When everyone rolled their eyes, she said, "Hey! The Ministry's gonna give me a hard time if I don't. Sorry, Sirius."

"And I suppose Ron and Remus have their excuses, too," he said dryly.

Rhia planted her hands on her hips. "What's wrong with me?" she said, pretending to be offended. Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Nothing. Let's go," Sirius said, taking her hand and pulling her along. Rhia bounced along beside him. Her red hair flew in front of her face and she brushed it back impatiently.

"Who's Rhiannon?" she asked as soon as they were out of site of the others. Sirius stopped dead in his tracks, opened his mouth, and closed it again.

"Someone," he replied shortly, continuing to walk. His pace quickened. Rhia matched him stride for stride.

"From the past?" she asked quietly, smiling. He grinned at her.

"How'd you know that?"

She shrugged. "Wellthere aren't that many options. I decided she probably wasn't from the present, and definitely not the future."

"You guessed right," he said with a grin.

"So? What was she like?" Rhia asked, skipping in front of Sirius and then jogging backwards, her round green eyes on his.

Sirius cocked his head to the side. "She was really nice and a great prankster."

Rhia smiled furtively. "I'm going to be a prankster."

Sirius's grin widened. "Good. What would Hogwarts be without a really good prankster?" Rhia smiled and turned around, falling into step with him again.

"Nothing," she said playfully.

When Rhia and Sirius came in range of Sirius's house, Rhia departed from Sirius's side. She pulled out her wand and muttered, "_Alohomora_!" The door opened with a soft click. She stepped inside and headed for the side table.

Sirius came in a few minutes later, grinning as he saw Rhia bent over the table, examining a piece of paper. He leaned over her shoulder to see what she was looking at.

His face clouded as he watched her eyes fly back and forth across the paper, reading the words over and over. "This prophecy - it has something to do with me, doesn't it?" she asked softly.

Sirius hesitated before answering. He didn't want to get her involved with his problems. Finally, he decided he owed her the truth. "Yes," he replied quietly.

"Can I copy this down?" Rhia asked. Sirius nodded. "Do you have a piece of parchment?" He handed her one and she grabbed a spare quill from the drawer, hurriedly jotting down the lines.

They ate in silence, Rhia going over the lines again and again. Occasionally, she began muttering something to herself.

"Really, Rhia. When I said it had something to do with you, I didn't mean that you had to interpret the whole thing tonight and do a great deed by tomorrow!" said Sirius finally, exasperated by the silence.

"Sorry," Rhia said guiltily, tucking the piece of parchment into her robes. "So, what exactly are we eating?"

Disclaimer: Everyone except the two Rhias belong to J.K. Rowling.

A/N: Sorry this is so short! I promise that the next one will be longer. I'll put more about both Rhias in, I think. And for all the D/H people, I'm sorry about Draco! But I will tell you that he'll come back into the story later. :) Please let me know if you want me to continue with this series. 


	6. Default Chapter Title

Remember, Believe (Part 6)

Harry grinned as Sirius stepped inside and took his cloak off. "So, did you get bombarded by questions last night?" Sirius frowned.

"No" he said slowly. Harry's brows furrowed.

"Really?"

"Yeahwe barely talked at all." Sirius shook his head and headed to the kitchen. He heard Ginny come out into the living room behind him.

"We missed a perfectly good meal, then?" Ginny asked with a chuckle. Harry nodded and sighed.

"But then again, it was Sirius cooking," he said. Ginny grinned.

"Hey!" Sirius shouted as he stuck his head out over the top of the refrigerator. "Are you implying that my cooking is bad?"

Harry and Ginny exchanged glances. "Yeah," Harry said. Sirius chuckled and ducked back down again, searching for food in the refrigerator.

Ginny poked her head out the door and watched Rhia swoop down to the ground. She stepped out and ran over to Rhia, grabbing the broom handle. "That is _enough_. You aren't going to ride this broom anymore."

"But, Mom - "

"No," Ginny said firmly. "We've given you enough leniency as it is with that broom. It's your father's, anyway." Rhia rolled her eyes and got off the broom. "And I don't want you annoying Sirius anymore, okay?" Rhia didn't respond as she jumped up the steps and ran into her bedroom.

She flopped down on her bed and pulled a piece of parchment from the table. Rhia grabbed her favorite quill from the jar beside it. She lowered it to scribble before pausing suddenly. It was the piece of parchment she had copied the prophecy down on. She flipped it over and began to read it over again.

_The Dark comes silently,_

_Sweeping one away_

_Captive for eternity_

_Perhaps, they say_

_When twin names are christened_

_Prison chains are loosened_

_For a moment._

_When twin dreams_

_Connect, the moment_

_Lasts forever._

Rhia sighed and read it over once more. She had interpreted in her own way. The one part she didn't understand was about the twin dreams. "How the hell am I supposed to know what she's dreaming about?" Rhia muttered sullenly.

She closed her eyes for a moment, thinking about what her own dreams would be. She sat up suddenly. Nothing was coming to her. She didn't have her own dreams. Yet.

Suddenly a voice echoed in her head. _Rhiannon_? She wasn't talking to herself. She wasn't imagining it.

_Call me Rhia_, she responded instantly. The voice inside her head laughed.

_Rhia, then? Sirius Black's great-goddaughter?_

_I suppose you could call me that, yes_, Rhia replied, slightly puzzled. _Are you Rhiannon?_

_Call me Rhia_, the woman responded, chuckling softly. Rhia grinned to herself.

_Where are you? What happened to you? Are you still alive_? Questions poured into Rhia's mind and she had to bite her lip to keep from asking them all. The other Rhia didn't respond. Rhia's arms and legs tingled and she lost her connection.

"Damn it," she muttered out loud. "I should have asked her what her dreams were, shouldn't I?" she murmured, her fists clenching.

"Rhia!" called Ginny up the stairs. "There's an owl here for you." Rhia jumped the stairs two at a time and picked the letter up slowly from the table. The owl was unfamiliar. He had a proud look as he preened. His feathers were tawny and his eyes a glowing yellow.

The piece of parchment was very worn and the words were hardly distinguishable. Rhia squinted as she tried to read the words. She grinned faintly and folded up the parchment, pocketing it quietly.

"What is it?" Harry asked, moving forward.

"Sirius knows," she responded furtively. Sirius frowned and shook his head. Harry sighed, sounding slightly exasperated.

"Well, it appears that he _doesn't_ know. Will you just tell us?" Rhia made a face and pulled out the piece of parchment, tossing it to Sirius.

"There." Sirius's eyebrows raised and Rhia smiled grimly. "Told you," she said, running up the stairs. A firm hand on the back of her robes stopped her.

"Did you talk with her?" Sirius asked quietly. Rhia hesitated before nodding slowly. Sirius gave her back the parchment.

"Sirius!" Harry said, frowning. "What did it say?"

"Oh, it was just something about Rhia. I'll tell you later." Harry sighed and shook his head. He motioned for Rhia to go upstairs and she obeyed quickly.

Later that night, Rhia poured over the prophecy over and over. She was almost positive that Rhiannon had sent it to her - but would that be possible? She sighed and reread it.

"But how," she muttered to herself, "could she have sent it? If her prison chains are loosened for just a moment, how would she have sent it?" Rhia sighed and placed the folded up piece of parchment on her side table quietly, sighing and flicking off the light. Her thoughts slipped into dreams as she drifted off.

_It was dark and it was raining lightly. Rhia moved towards a light in the distance. As she drew closer, the light seemed to lose some of its glow. It disappeared completely, but in place of it there was a dark shape. Rhia squinted into the darkness. The shape began to glow again. Rhia had a funny thought. Like an angel. _

_"Hello, Rhia," said the shape._

_"Greetings, Rhiannon," responded Rhia without thinking. She knew she was right at once. The shape laughed. "What happened before? Why did I lose you?"_

_Perhaps Rhia imagined it, but Rhiannon's face seemed to cloud for a moment. Finally, she answered, "It is a rather spontaneous and unreliable way of communication I use."_

_Rhia frowned and reached out to touch Rhiannon. But, somehow, she couldn't seem to get close enough. The effort was draining her immensely. "Why" she said foggily._

_Rhiannon sighed and reached out with one faintly glowing hand. "Hold on, Rhia. Try to dream your own dreams. Not mine." The glow around her lessened rapidly and soon Rhia was left in the darkness with the rain pouring all around her._

_She felt like she was falling, spinning downward. She tried to scream, but no sound came out. Her world went black._

Rhia woke from the dream sweating. She sat up and pushed the covers back, running downstairs for a glass of water. She sat, breathing hard, at the kitchen table. The details of her dream were becoming cloudy around the edges.

"Rhiannon," she muttered. One word stuck out in her mind. Angel. She shook her head to clear her mind and put the empty glass in the sink, starting back up the stairs.

"Rhia? Is that you?" called a voice down the stairs.

"Yeah," she called. "I needed a drink of water."

"Oh," Harry said. Rhia heard the door close and she collapsed back in her bed. She didn't dream again that night.

When Rhia woke, she looked at the calendar on her bedside table. August 29th. Two more days to go until Hogwarts. She sighed and got up, dressing quickly. As she padded down the stairs, she heard the clumsy noises of Sirius making coffee.

"Spare me," she muttered as she saw him searching in every cupboard for something. He didn't look up. "Hey, can I see those pictures of Rhia Dad said you had?"

Sirius banged his head against the counter. He looked up, rubbing his tousled black hair. "Sure. Why?"

Rhia took a big breath. "WellI had this funny dream last night, and I was kind of wondering if I had the right imagery of Rhia."

"Okay. They're in your closet." Rhia hit her head hard on the refrigerator.

"_What_? Why didn't you tell me?" Sirius grinned crookedly and stood up.

"To see your reaction," he joked. Rhia scowled. "No, seriously, because no one would guess." Rhia made a face and pulled the milk carton out.

"Can I get an owl?" she asked.

"What for?" Sirius replied around a mouthful of cereal.

"For letters and stuff."

"Who would you be writing letters to?"

"I don't know. You and Mum and Dad, I guess."

"You can use a school owl," Sirius responded firmly. Rhia finished her cereal and dumped the bowl into the sink.

"Fine." Rhia trotted back upstairs and pulled out the prophecy. She flipped it over and was about to flip back to the writing when she saw something in the corner. She squinted. It read, 'Just in case.'

Rhia frowned and folded it up again. She wanted to look at the photographs of Rhiannon. She sifted through her robes until she found a shoebox.

"Yes," she murmured, pulling the top off. Inside, there were stacks of photos of a girl grinning back at Rhia. "Perfect."

Rhia was up before dawn on September 1st, bouncing up and down on Harry and Ginny's bed. "Get up, get up!" she cried.

"Go away," Harry muttered sleepily, rolling over. She stuck her tongue out secretly, but disappeared. When Harry and Ginny went down for breakfast, Rhia's trunk was set at the door and Rhia was waiting patiently beside it.

"Rhia, honey," said Ginny, checking her watch, "the train doesn't leave for another two and a half hours." Rhia shrugged.

"So? I'm well prepared," she replied smoothly.

"Have you had breakfast yet?" Harry asked while trying (unsuccessfully) to smother a yawn. Rhia nodded vigorously. Harry shook his head and poured himself a bowl of cereal.

"So you have everything packed, Rhia?" Ginny inquired after a moment of silence. Rhia nodded again.

"Absolutely everything," she replied, beaming. "Including Daddy's broom." When Harry looked up sharply, Rhia beamed and said, "Just kidding." Harry rolled his eyes and continued eating.

When, at long last, it was time to leave, Rhia bounced out the door and into Harry's rented car. All the way there, Rhia was muttering, "Oh, we're going to be late! We're going to be late!"

"It's 10:30, Rhia," Ginny said with a laugh. "The Hogwarts Express doesn't leave until eleven, you know."

"I know," Rhia retorted quickly. "But I want to meet everyone on the train."

As soon as they reached King's Cross Station, Rhia jumped out and pulled out her trunk, racing to the platforms. Harry and Ginny found her standing in between platforms 9 and 10, looking very bewildered.

"There is not Platform 9 and ¾," she said, looking disappointed. Ginny and Harry exchanged glances and laughed.

"Sure there is," said Harry. "Just walk straight into the barrier between 9 and 10. That'll get you there." Rhia frowned.

"Doesn't that hurt?" she asked. Harry laughed again.

"Just try it." Rhia shrugged and walked purposefully forward towards the barrier, almost bowling over a few people in the process. She bit her lip, expecting her cart to make a very loud clanging. But it didn't. She fell through the barrier. A crimson train was waiting.

Harry and Ginny appeared a few moments later. Rhia had already boarded the train and was moving from compartment to compartment. She finally decided on an empty one and slid into the seat by the window.

"Goodbye, honey," Ginny said tearfully, kissing her daughter on the forehead. "Have a wonderful time."

"Thanks, Mum."

Harry slid past Ginny and kissed Rhia on both cheeks. "You'll do just great, Rhia. Have a fabulous time."

Rhia blinked away a tear and nodded, biting her lip. "I will, Dad. See you on the holidays." Harry nodded and turned away. Rhia waved to them ferociously out of the train window. They waved back a couple of times before disappearing through the barrier once again.

A few moments later, a boy burst into her compartment. "Anyone sitting here?" he asked. Rhia shook her head, looking the boy up and down. He had mousy brown hair and bright blue eyes.

"Who're you?" she asked bluntly. "I'm Rhia Potter."

"George Russet," he replied smoothly. "You in first year?" Rhia nodded.

"Yeah. What about you?" George nodded firmly.

"I'm looking forward to pulling a lot of pranks. I heard from my dad that Slytherins are the ones to do that to."

"Really?" said Rhia, brightening. "I want to be a prankster too. I want to be in Gryffindor." George nodded.

"Me too. Both of my parents were in Gryffindor."

"Hey, mine too." They grew quiet for a moment, at least until another person poked their head into their compartment.

"Oh, goody. An empty compartment." The girl slid in beside Rhia and extended a hand. "I'm Kit Delano."

"Rhia Potter," Rhia said, shaking Kit's hand.

"George Russet." Kit shook George's hand fiercely and settled back down with a sigh.

"Whew. I can't wait until we get to Hogwarts. What house do you guys want to be in? I like the sounds of Ravenclaw and Gryffindor," Kit said, all very quickly.

"Gryffindor," chorused Rhia and George. They exchanged a quick grin.

"Oh, good. I hate the sound of Slytherins and Hufflepuffs sound just plain dorky," Kit said happily. Rhia frowned. Kit sure was bold.

"I bet you'll be in Gryffindor," Rhia muttered. Kit nodded.

"I heard that the headmaster's kind of off his rocker," Kit whispered, leaning forward. George opened his mouth, but never got a chance to speak as another person slipped into their compartment. Rhia took an immediate dislike to him.

The boy's lips seemed permanently carved into a sneer. He had pale skin and jet black hair. He surveyed the three people in the compartment with utmost dislike.

"Well, well. I'm stuck with three people that look very much like garbage." He slid uncomfortably next to George. George scooted further towards the window. Kit frowned.

"I s'pose you want to be a Slytherin, then?" she asked.

The boy narrowed his eyes. "Of course," he said, as George shifted even farther towards the window.

"Have you got no manners? You haven't even introduced yourself!" burst out Rhia without thinking. She clapped a hand over her mouth. "Sorry," she said quickly.

The boy sneered. "Well _excuse_ me," he said. "Cassius Doyle," he muttered, his lip curling. Rhia held out her hand out. Cassius ignored it.

"Well, then," Kit said. "Your manners are horrible." She crossed her arms across her chest.

"S'pose you want to be a Gryffindor," Cassius shot back. All three of them nodded.

"And proud of it," Kit said defensively. Cassius sneered.

"You shouldn't be talking of manners. None of you have introduced yourselves yet," Cassius said sulkily.

"George Russet."

"Kit Delano."

"Rhia Potter." At Rhia's name, Cassius jumped considerably. He narrowed his eyes and pressed his arms close to his chest.

"Potter, then?" he said quietly. "I've heard about you - you and your famous father. What a load of rubbish if you ask me."

"Nobody was," Kit snapped angrily.

"And you," Cassius continued, "Kit. Like Kit Kat? What a horrid name. I couldn't _imagine_ having such a silly name."

Kit's fists clenched. "How _dare_ you insult me," she breathed through clenched teeth.

"And what about you?" he said, turning to George. "Too scared to speak up for yourself?" Without thinking, Rhia and Kit drew their wands, Rhia muttering a spell she'd heard her father use.

Nothing happened. Cassius began to laugh. "Pitiful," he choked out. "Just pitiful." But his next words turned into sneezing. Soon, all that could be heard throughout the entire train was Cassius's sneezes.

"Oops," Rhia muttered, replacing her wand in her pocket. Kit looked impressed.

"Wow," she said. "I don't really know any spells." Rhia shrugged and blushed slightly.

"My dad used it once," she muttered. "I didn't really mean to," she added, wincing as she looked at Cassius.

Within moments, a crowd had gathered to see what the emergency was. An adult was pushing through the crowd, muttering, "Excuse me! Sorry there!" occasionally.

When he reached the compartment, he drew his own wand and muttered a spell. Cassius immediately stopped sneezing. He shook his head and glared ferociously at Rhia.

"You little - " Suddenly, he noticed the man standing beside him and the crowd eagerly looking in from outside. He stopped.

"Is everything all right then, Mr. Doyle?" the man asked before turning away. Cassius nodded rather miserably. The man dispersed the crowd and vanished.

"I should murder you on the spot," Cassius murmured. Rhia folded her arms tightly across her chest and glared.

After a lot of intense arguing and wand-raising, the Hogwarts Express reached its destination. Rhia climbed out with Kit and George. Cassius had disappeared the moment the train had stopped.

A loud voice to their right startled the trio. "Firs' years over here! All firs' years!" They looked up to see a giant of a man standing tall above the crowd, calling all of the first years to his side.

Kit, George, and Rhia exchanged glances, shrugged, and fought their way through the crowd to his side.

"Excuse me," Kit said loudly. The man turned and broke into a wide smile.

"Yeh must be Harry's daughter!" he cried, looking straight at Rhia. She nodded slowly and his grin widened.

"Call me Hagrid," he said, thumping Rhia on her back. "An' these must be yer friends," he said, glancing at George and Kit.

"Yeah," said Rhia uncertainly, still quite unnerved. "This is Kit and George."

"Please to meet yeh," Hagrid said. "Now, into the boat. Only four to a boat," he called loudly, motioning to the small rowboats at the dock.

Kit, George, and Rhia climbed into one. A quiet, mousy haired girl climbed in after them. "Hello," she said softly.

"Hi," said Kit enthusiastically. "You're much better than the other person we had. I'm Kit Delano."

The quiet girl looked somewhat confused. "You haven't even met me," she said softly. Kit shrugged and smiled.

"So? You look pretty nice, and compared to Cassius Doyle, anyone's an angel."

"Oh," said the girl, clearing having no idea who Cassius Doyle was. "I'm Helen Pierce," she said.

"Rhia Potter and that's George Russet over there," said Rhia, smiling warmly and jerking a thumb over her shoulder at George. "Let's start then, shall we?"

They rowed all the way across the lake, finally getting out and walking up to the castle. Rhia shivered; it was cold out. George put an arm around her shoulders and Rhia thanked him gratefully. They all filed into the hall behind a stern witch called Professor McGonagall.

The witch pulled out a stool and a very worn hat. She placed the hat on the stool. All the first years glanced at each other, puzzled. Suddenly, a rip in the hat's brim opened and the hat began to sing.

When the hat finished its song, everyone exploded into applause. Professor McGonagall unrolled a long list and read out the first name.

"Allen, Christine!"

A small girl at the head of the line hurried forward and slipped the hat over her eyes. In a moment the hat shouted out a name.

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

Professor McGonagall went on in this manner, reaching Kit in (what seemed to Rhia) no time at all.

"Delano, Kit!" Kit strode forward and placed the hat over her head. It only took a brief moment for the hat to shout out its decision.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

And after her, Cassius Doyle swaggered forward and placed the hat on his head. It took the hat less than a second, it seemed, to declare Cassius a Slytherin.

Helen Pierce was right before Rhia. She was named a Ravenclaw. Rhia trembled as Professor McGonagall called her name. There was a sudden buzz in the hall and many whispers tossed back and forth in the time it took Rhia to reach the stool. She slipped it over her head and was amazed to here a small voice talking in her ear.

"AhI've been waiting for you. Harry Potter's daughter? Well, yes, you're bound to be a GRYFFINDOR!"

Rhia carefully replaced the hat on the stool and stood up, very relieved. She hurried over to sit beside Kit and discuss who had been sorted already. Rhia waved to Helen Pierce tentatively and looked to the Sorting Hat as George's name was called.

He too was declared a Gryffindor. He slipped into the seat next to Rhia, a look of immense relief on his face.

"I was so worried I'd be sorted into Slytherin or Hufflepuff, or something," he muttered in Rhia's ear. She grinned.

"Yeah, me too. I'm really happy I'm in Gryffindor, though." George and Kit nodded. Within a few minutes, Professor McGonagall rolled up the list of students and carried the Sorting Hat and stool away. The headmaster stood up.

Rhia was in awe of Professor Dumbledore. She bet Kit a Sickle that his beard touched the floor. His eyes were extremely kind, although he looked ancient to George, Kit, and Rhia.

"And now - for the feast! Enjoy!" he called at the end. Food appeared in front of them and they dug in. 

Rhia only picked at her food. George glanced up at her. "What's wrong, Rhia?" he asked after swallowing a large piece of bread. Rhia blinked and shook her head.

"Nothing."

George snorted. "Uh huh," he said, sounding thoroughly unconvinced. "You've been staring into space for the last ten minutes."

"I'm thinking," Rhia replied indignantly.

"Thinking?"

"Yeah," she said sarcastically, tapping her head. "It's where you use your mind. You do know what a brain is, don't you?"

George rolled his eyes and continued eating. Rhia pushed back her chair and stood up. Kit followed suit. George refused to look at them.

"I'll come with you, Rhia," Kit said. "I'm not hungry."

The two girls made their way up to the Gryffindor tower, after a lot of very odd passageways and an extremely angry portrait of a knight.

"Password?" said the portrait guarding the way to the tower. Kit groaned. Rhia stood stock still for a moment, then sighed.

"Sorry, we're new Gryffindors," Rhia tried cautiously. "We don't know the password yet."

"I'm afraid I can't let you in without the password," the Fat Lady said. Rhia and Kit slumped down to the side of the portrait.

"What do we do now?" Rhia asked.

"We wait," Kit sighed. They sat in silence for a few moments. Rhia was going back to her previous thoughts at the dinner table when a noise made both of them jump.

"Hello," said a voice. Kit stared.

"Hello," Rhia replied in a sort of strangled voice. She was looking right at a ghost. The ghost laughed.

"I see you're new," he said. "I saw you at the Gryffindor table. Correct?" Kit and Rhia nodded numbly. "I'm the Gryffindor ghost, Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington."

"Mmm," said Rhia, looking quite relieved. "Dad told me about you - Nearly Headless Nick, right?" The ghost sighed and looked fairly dejected.

"Why does everyone insist on calling me that? I really would prefer Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington."

"Well, then, Nick," said Kit. The ghost frowned. "What's the password to the Gryffindor Tower?" Nearly Headless Nick's head wobbled as he shook his head.

"I'm not supposed to tell you, but seeing as I know you're Gryffindors"

"Please?" said Kit and Rhia together. They exchanged quick grins and turned back to the ghost. "Please?" they said again.

"All right - Alohomora," he said, lowering his voice.

"Alohomora," Rhia whispered, directly to the portrait. It swung open and they climbed inside. Nearly Headless Nick smiled and pointed up to the right.

"Girls up that way," he said cheerfully, waving goodbye to them.

Rhia heard George and the other Gryffindors come up later. She listened to the excited chatter and bustle of older Gryffindors later in the night as they discussed news. But somehow she couldn't fall asleep, no matter how tired she was.

_It was dark - incredibly so. It was light a blanket of never-ending black had been laid over her eyes. She blinked once, twice, but it didn't go away. Instead, a lighter image appeared on the black. It grew lighter, glowing, with every moment._

_A woman was lying against the wall, seemingly sleeping. When Rhia looked closer, though, she noticed that her eyes were wide open. Her wrists were chained, as were her feet. Her skin was red around the irons from chaffing._

_Rhia didn't see any change in the woman's appearance, but she sensed that the woman knew she was there. There was nothing special about her appearance - she wasn't particularly beautiful, she didn't have any aura of special magic or anything. But when Rhia squinted, she saw that there was something distinctly unordinary about this woman._

_Her eyes were dark blue, almost black, around the edges, exploding in the middle like sky blue fireworks. It wasn't that they were spectacularly outstanding - just that they seemed to draw Rhia in. She moved forward a step._

_What she saw when the eyes flickered over to her made chills run down her spine. She shivered, suddenly feeling the cold drafts of the prison cell. Those eyes were filled with a pain, a torture, so indescribable that Rhia wanted to scream._

_Black dots danced in front of her eyes. She writhed in frustration as the woman's image faded from her mind and the blackness lightened slowly._

A/N: Sorry that this took so long getting up! A relative passed away in the time between the last part and this part...but anyway, I'll be able to write faster now. Thanks for your patience. :) Oh, and if you didn't get it, that was Rhia's dream at the end. Thanks for the reviews! :)


	7. Default Chapter Title

Remember, Believe (Part 7)

Rhia's eyes fluttered open weakly and she put a trembling hand to her forehead. The sheets were a mess from her nightmare. She sighed and lay back down.

"Rhia? Are you okay?" whispered Kit. Rhia blinked in surprise.

"Yeah," she whispered back. "Why?" There was a pause on Kit's end.

"You looked justI don't knowtroubled," Kit finished with a sigh. Rhia closed her eyes for a moment, opening them hurriedly when the image of the woman appeared in front of her again.

"I'm okay," she reassured Kit, sounding far better than she felt. "Go back to sleep." Kit didn't reply.

When the first rays of dawn finally crept over the horizon, Rhia slipped out of bed and dressed quickly, hurrying down to the Gryffindor common room. The fire was burning low, only a few stubborn embers glowing faintly beneath the ash.

Rhia collapsed in an armchair by the fire. She stared at the faint red glow of the embers as she waited for the others to stir.

"For a first year, you get up awfully early."

Rhia jumped and turned around. A tall girl with jet-black hair was leaning against the wall behind her, grinning lazily. Rhia smiled weakly and nodded.

"I couldn't sleep," she said quietly. The girl nodded.

"Rhia, isn't it? My name is Ellira Diablo." The girl took a step forward, shaking her long black hair over her shoulders.

Rhia tentatively smiled. "Yes, I'm Rhia. What year are you in?"

"Third," Ellira said shortly. "Want any tips?" Rhia nodded slowly. Ellira slipped into the other armchair near Rhia and leaned forward.

"Watch out for Snape," she said, wrinkling her nose. "He's so biased," she muttered to herself. "I s'pose you know that McGonagall's the head of Gryffindor. She's strict; don't get on her bad side. Flitwick's just a pushover and Sprout gets so involved it's not too hard to get away with things."

Rhia nodded along. "Thanks," she murmured. Ellira flashed her a quick smile. Rhia didn't look into her eyes.

"Oh, and the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Thystle, is pretty strict," Ellira said, shivering slightly. "I don't care for her much."

"Thanks," Rhia repeated. "Snapemy father told me about him." She glanced down at her schedule. "And I have him this afternoon," she muttered, looking downcast.

Ellira smiled grimly and touched Rhia lightly on the shoulder as she got up. "Good luck," she whispered, disappearing. Kit stumbled down the stairs past Ellira, rubbing her eyes sleepily.

"You're already up, Rhia?" she mumbled, yawning widely. "Sheesh." Rhia smiled and shrugged, standing up and stretching.

"Ready for breakfast?"

Charms wasn't too bad - Ellira had been right. Flitwick didn't pose too much of a threat to any of the students - in fact, he was rather easy to walk over. Kit got away with letting a dungbomb off below George's desk. He wouldn't speak to either of them for the rest of the lesson.

But as Rhia nervously watched the hands of the clock tick by, she bit her lip. Potions was up next with Snape. She'd only seen him once, at the feast, but he hadn't seen her. He didn't look all too pleasant. And she was right.

Kit shivered as they made their way down to the dungeon. "Why does it have to be down here?" she muttered. "It's so cold."

"That is my choice, Miss Delano," said a very cold voice from behind her. Kit jumped and Rhia tightened her grip around Kit's arm.

Snape, a greasy-haired professor, let them in silently, but his figure was so intimidating that not a single whisper could be heard throughout the dungeon.

He started roll, his glittering black eyes roving over the classroom with every name. Rhia was shocked to see how very black they were, containing no warmth. He paused at Rhia's name.

"Ah, yes. Rhia Potter," he hissed softly. "Of course." Rhia glared at him before she thought what she was doing. His eyes contained an even higher look of disgust when he looked at her.

He continued down the list, tucking it away in his desk when he finished. He began to pace in front of the class. "You will be learning the art of making potions here. I expect no misbehavior, although I have come to expect horrible marks on the exams. You lot look even sorrier than the ones I had last year," he said, smiling cruelly at them.

"Just what he said to my dad," Rhia muttered out of the corner of her mouth to Kit. Immediately, Snape stopped pacing and fixed his eyes on her.

"Five points from Gryffindor," he said smoothly, taking his eyes from hers.

"Don't worry," Kit muttered when Snape had turned to the chalkboard. Rhia nodded and glanced up at the board.

"Today," Snape said, "you will be making a simple potion to cure boils. The ingredients are written on the board." When no one moved, he snapped, "Well, right that down!"

There was a loud rummaging for parchment and quills. Many pairs of bright eyes glanced up at the chalkboard and down to their papers over and over again.

When they had almost completed their potions, the soft voice of Snape behind Rhia made her jump. She dropped all of the frog liver into the potion. It bubbled for a moment, frothing at the sides.

BOOM!

The potion made a small explosion, drenching Kit, Rhia and Snape in the potion. Boils sprung up on their skin. Kit howled.

Rhia blinked and winced as the pain hit her. It was only mild, though, compared to the look of Snape. Rhia couldn't help herself - she doubled up laughing. Snape cast her a very loathsome glare and rid himself of the boils along with Kit. He reluctantly took away Rhia's as well.

"Go straight to Dumbledore," Snape hissed angrily as he tried to restore calm. Rhia glared at him and miserably slipped out the dungeon door, dragging her feet as she made her way to two stone gargoyles guarding the way to Dumbledore's office.

They sprang backwards suddenly and Dumbledore appeared, beckoning Rhia inside. His eyes twinkled as he sat down at his desk.

"Well, then," he murmured, looking her over. "Rhia Potter. I imagine that you came from Potions?"

Rhia nodded numbly. Dumbledore smiled, his eyes twinkling brightly. "Never calm with a Potter around, is it?" he asked. Rhia stared. He laughed. "How is your father? I haven't seen him in a very long time," he said.

"Good," Rhia said in a sort of strangled voice.

"Well, I'm afraid Professor Snape sent you here for me to give you detention," Dumbledore said, rummaging in his desk for a detention slip. "Here you go," he said, handing her a flimsy piece of parchment.

"How many detentions did Sirius Black get?" Rhia blurted out. At once she clapped a hand over her mouth and moaned.

Dumbledore laughed. "Too many to count," he said. "Planning on beating his record, then?" Rhia's hand slowly moved away from her mouth and she smiled.

"Guess so," she murmured weakly as she stood up. "Thank you," she said as she exited his office.

A great sense of foreboding overcame Rhia as she waited until it was time to serve her detention. Kit looked at her sympathetically.

"Sorry," she said softly as Rhia stood up, stretched, and slipped out the portrait hole.

When Rhia reached the dungeons, she met a closed door. She knocked timidly. There was no answer for a moment.

"Come in," he called. Rhia slipped inside, closing the door carefully behind her. He was sitting at a desk, grading papers. He didn't look up as she entered. "Remove the livers from that bucket of frogs at the back," he instructed, still continuing to write.

Rhia didn't move. Finally he looked up with a glare. "Well?" he snapped. "You're here to serve detention, aren't you?"

"Your eyes," Rhia whispered, staring directly at the blackness of his eyes.

"What about them?" he snapped, glancing down. Rhia still didn't move.

"Why are they so black?" she murmured hoarsely. He dropped his quill and looked at her angrily.

"Get to work," he growled.

"I asked you a question," Rhia said, her voice growing firmer as she spoke. "I asked you why your eyes were so black."

"You're just like your father," Snape hissed. "And your grandfather. Think you can do whatever you want."

Rhia didn't know what came over her. Her eyes were blazing with fury. "You never loved anyone in your life, did you? That's why your eyes are so black," she whispered.

Snape opened his mouth and closed it again. He finally settled for a loathing glare in Rhia's direction. He picked up his quill again. "Go and take the livers out of those frogs," he hissed between gritted teeth.

Rhia worked in silence, trying not to think too hard about what she was doing. Occasionally she heard the scratch of quill against paper and a sigh from Professor Snape. She finished the last frog quickly and washed her hands.

Snape ignored her as she slipped out the door and ran up to the Gryffindor tower, panting as she muttered, "Bubotuber."

Kit and George were playing a heated battle of chess in the corner as Rhia walked in and collapsed in an armchair beside them. Kit barely looked up. "How'd it go?"

"Horrible. I had to take the livers out of frogs." Rhia wrinkled her nose and shuddered. "It was awful."

"Mmm," said Kit, not really listening.

Rhia rolled her eyes and picked up a piece of stray parchment from the floor, scanning it with her eyes quickly. Her eyes widened and the piece of parchment fluttered to the floor.

Kit leaned over to read it.

_I know where Rhiannon Drelle is._

A shadowy figure paced a dark courtyard, his hands clasped behind his back. A large figure in the corner spoke.

"Master Malfoy, if you please - " he began.

"Go away, Crabbe," Draco muttered. "You too, Goyle," he said, motioning them to leave. They paused before grunting and disappearing. Draco continued to pace.

It was close to midnight, but he continued to walk up and down the courtyard, his brow furrowed. His robes were a deep, velvety black and his boots were made of the finest dragon hide available. He happened to have a large fortune stored in his house.

"Excuse me," said a small, trembling voice from the edge of the courtyard. Draco stopped pacing and glanced up to see a petite figure pull herself up onto the edge of the stone wall.

"Yes?" Draco said shortly. The girl's hair was long and silvery and it caught the light when she turned to glance over her shoulder.

"My sister said I shouldn't come here, but - well, do you know the way to the Dragon Hide Tavern?" she asked, slipping one leg over and looking at him.

Draco paused. He did know the way there, but he wasn't sure that he wanted to tell her. "Who are you?" he asked quietly, purposely avoiding the question.

The girl hesitated. "Gabrielle," she said softly, glancing over her shoulder again. "Listen, I have to go, so if you can't tell us the way"

"I can tell you the way," said Draco firmly. "I will show you the way." In moments, he was up on the stone wall beside Gabrielle. He slipped down and offered her a hand. She took it and jumped gracefully to the ground.

"Do you live around here?" Gabrielle asked, reluctantly releasing Draco's hand as she looked around. The stars cast little light on their path, but Draco didn't light the way.

"No," Draco said quietly.

"Oh," said Gabrielle softly. "Are you staying at the Dragon Hide Tavern, then?"

"No," Draco said again. "I have - relations - in the area," he explained vaguely. Gabrielle nodded and followed him. Soon a bright lantern could be seen in the distance, glowing warmly.

"Is that it up there?" she asked. Draco nodded. He paused at the bottom of the hill.

"I'll leave you here," he said, turning to go. Gabrielle's hand caught his arm firmly.

"Will you walk me up?" she said softly. Draco shook his head, but she looked up at him, almost pleading with him.

"All right," he murmured reluctantly. She smiled and started up the hill. Draco walked beside her quietly. He thought that he recognized her from somewhere, but he couldn't quite put a finger on it.

Gabrielle knocked lightly on the wooden door. She heard heavy footsteps and took a step back. Draco pulled his hood over his face and looked away.

A tall, thickset man with a dark beard poked his head out the door and blinked in the sudden light. "What do you want?" he growled.

"I was looking for a place to stay tonight," Gabrielle said softly.

"Sorry," said the man, not sounding sorry at all. "Too late." He slammed the door in their faces and Gabrielle listened to his footsteps recede. It grew silent again.

"I s'pose you can stay at my place," Draco offered after a long pause.

"I thought you didn't live here," Gabrielle said, frowning.

"Did I say that?" Draco said. "Ah, well, it was a lie then." He started down the hill quickly. Gabrielle laughed and ran to catch up with him. Draco smiled.

Gabrielle's breath expelled in a misty cloud as she saw the large mansion come into view. Her eyes scanned the red rose garden and the black gate with an engraved 'M' in the center. Draco pulled it open and stood back.

Gabrielle flashed him a smile and stepped inside. Draco followed, closing the gate quietly behind him. Gabrielle was staring in awe at a large rose by the path. She bent over to catch its scent when - 

The whole courtyard echoed with the noise. An enormous cloud of gray smoke erupted, enveloping the garden and the gate. When the smoke did clear, only the red roses flickered in the wind. The path was empty.

Disclaimer: Everyone belongs to J.K. Rowling (except Rhia and Rhiannon). :) Oh yeah, and Ellira.

A/N: There! More Draco! :) Sorry this was short...longer part next time. More everybody next time. And you get to meet the DADA teacher. :)


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